


Stuck in Your Orbit

by Not_Listening



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Heejin has a crush on Hyunjin, Heejin is a vigilante, Hyunjin hates her, side chuuves, side hyewon, very subtle tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:00:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 49,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26369914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_Listening/pseuds/Not_Listening
Summary: Heejin is just a regular college student - aside from the fact that she patrols the streets at night as the crime-fighting vigilante known only as Orbit. And she also has a crush on the cute girl in her journalism class.The girl, Kim Hyunjin, also happens to run a popular blog dedicated towards hating Orbit.Heejin decides to keep her distance, but when a mysterious man attacks her, leaving her injured and bleeding, she is forced to flee to the only place she can: Hyunjin's apartment.Soon enough, however, Heejin comes to realize that this attack was only the beginning.
Relationships: Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin
Comments: 31
Kudos: 245





	1. Chapter 1

Don’t get her wrong, Heejin wasn’t normally one to break the rules. She had always been taught to be responsible and fair, and her dad always impressed upon her the importance of listening and following rules. 

And then, halfway through her sophomore year of high school, her father was murdered in a mugging gone wrong on his way home from work.

And suddenly, Heejin didn’t really care about the rules anymore. 

The man who killed her father had gotten off with a light sentence, sent to a rehab center to treat his drug addiction and given a few years parole. 

That was when Heejin lost faith in the system. 

And at the end of her senior year, she got her powers. 

It was a freak accident, which was something Heejin begrudgingly acknowledged as the reason for many superhero origin stories. Too many, if you asked her. But here she was, receiving teleportation powers after being in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

She had been walking home from school one afternoon. Alone, as usual. She walked past the lab she normally passed by on her way home, sparing a glance as she always did. Block Berry Laboratories. She had always been curious of what exactly they did in there. Alas, the people surrounding the business were incredibly tight-lipped, and the scientists were sworn to secrecy, from what Heejin had heard. 

Just as she walked past the entrance of the lab, she swore heard a scream from inside the building. It was ear-piercing, and Heejin startled at the sound, jerking her head towards the doors of the lab. 

There didn’t seem to be anything wrong at first glance. Heejin narrowed her eyes, stepping a hesitant step towards the building. Perhaps she had imagined it…?

There it was again! Heejin jumped at the blood-curdling scream once again. She blinked a couple times, steeling herself and taking a few confident steps towards the entrance. If someone in there was in trouble, she had to do something to help. 

Surprisingly, the front doors were unlocked. Heejin narrowed her eyes a bit as the glass doors swung open, but she quickly moved on, making her way into the building. 

The interior resembled that of a hospital: clinical and bleak. Heejin shivered a bit, but she looked around the dark room, searching for any sign of struggle. 

She found none. The place seemed abandoned. 

Just as Heejin was about to brush it off as an audio hallucination or something and leave, the scream sounded again. This time, it was louder, echoing through the empty hallways of the lab. 

Heejin wasted no time before taking off in a sprint down the left hallway, straight towards the scream. 

Before long, she had arrived at the end of the hallway, faced with a steel door. The door was heavily reinforced, layers of locks sealing it shut. 

And yet, Heejin knew in her bones that that was where the scream had originated. She walked forward, her brows furrowed as she examined the door. Running a hand down the cold steel of the massive lock, she jumped when the door released a loud creak. 

And then the locks were lifted, squeaking as they shifted to allow the door to open once again. 

Heejin stepped back, a chill running through her as the door seemed to open by itself, inviting her inside. Inside, Heejin was able to make out a nearly empty room. Nearly empty, except for a single pillar in the center, on top of which sat a massive rock of some sort. 

Heejin took another step back. There was no woman inside this room. No one that could have screamed so loud. 

Just as Heejin was about to haul ass out of there, the rock seemed to vibrate, rattling against the pillar it sat on. Heejin’s eyes widened and she blinked. 

And then she turned and sprinted back towards the exit. 

She barely made it a couple feet before the sound of a loud bang rocked the building. The force of it knocked Heejin off her feet, launching her against the tiles with a loud grunt. 

The strange rock vibrated even more violently now, much to Heejin’s horror as she glanced back. 

Bolts of energy were beginning to arc off of the surface of the rock, little forks of lightning that seemed to emanate from the rock itself. The bolts were becoming larger and larger, and Heejin knew that they would eventually become big enough to reach her.

However, she could do little except watch as the lightning became larger and larger, creeping closer. Heejin stumbled to her feet, desperate to get away. She cursed herself for her foolishness. What had she been thinking, running alone into a strange abandoned lab? 

She turned away from the rock, intent on running down the hallway. She could hear the crackling of lightning behind her. 

She barely took a step before the lightning collided with her, a bolt striking the very center of her back, directly between her shoulder blades. Heejin screamed, the pain of the strike too much to take. She could feel her skin burning, the energy of the bolt coursing through her entire body. It felt like she was on fire. 

And then she lost consciousness. 

Heejin woke up a few hours later, still collapsed on the tiled floor of the lab. She groaned, confused. She felt as if she had been run over by a semi-truck. Repeatedly. And then thrown off a cliff for good measure. 

She fought through the pain and forced herself to her feet with another groan. Her back was on fire, throbbing with pain. 

Heejin glanced back towards the stupid rock that caused all this, only to find that it now seemed...dormant. 

Lightning was no longer arcing off the surface, and it no longer vibrated. In fact, Heejin noticed, the rock seemed almost normal at first glance. 

She frowned, but she wasn’t going to test her luck any further. She wasted no time before fleeing from the lab and stumbling out to the street. She was startled to see that it was already dark outside, the crescent moon shining down on her, almost mockingly. 

The rest of the night was a blur, if she was being honest. She had made it home, apologizing profusely to her parents for the lack of communication, making up some bullshit excuse about her phone dying. She made sure to put on her jacket before she walked in the house, not wanting her parents to worry about the large hole that had been burned through her school uniform.

She had walked upstairs to her room, trying her best to fight through the crippling pain emanating from her back. 

When she looked at the injury in the mirror that night, her eyes widened and she nearly fell to the ground. The skin was blackened and burned, a large scab already forming over the wound. 

The mark covered almost all of her upper back, creeping upward and even reaching the back of her neck. Looks like she wasn’t wearing bikinis anymore, she thought ruefully as she stared at the injury. The scar was going to be  _ massive.  _

Unwilling to dwell on it any longer, Heejin stumbled out of her clothes, wincing as she pulled her shirt off and gently pulled on a new one. 

She fell into a fitful sleep that night, intent on moving on from this weird occurrence. 

Turns out, that wasn’t going to be possible.

Shortly thereafter, Heejin discovered her powers. It took a few days and entirely too many times waking up at the other side of the house for her to figure out what was going on. 

Eventually though, she connected the dots. 

Heejin could teleport. 

Once she was able to wrap her head around this fact, she had put aside a few days to test her powers. After careful consideration, she had decided to allow her close friend, Kim Jiwoo, in on her secret. 

Jiwoo had been entirely too excited for Heejin’s liking, but even she knew she needed all the help she could get.

So they spent the next few days testing Heejin’s powers. After a ton of trials, they had come to a few conclusions. Heejin was able to teleport up to 30 meters at a time. She could only do it for so long before she ran out of energy, depending on how much food she had eaten or how tired she was initially. And, Jiwoo gleefully pointed out, her powers were  _ awesome.  _

In the years following these events, Heejin had trained, further developing her powers and learning to fight. With Jiwoo’s help, Heejin crafted her vigilante identity: Orbit. 

She knew the name had nothing to do with her powers, really, but she did like it. 

So, along with dealing with college classes and trying to graduate with her head still on her shoulders, Heejin began to fight crime. 

By day, she was Jeon Heejin, a struggling college student who barely made it to class on time and rarely knew where she was at any given moment. 

By night, she was Orbit, a deadly and precise crime fighting vigilante. A criminal’s worst nightmare, as the newspapers began to say. 

Her reputation grew as time passed. Naturally, so did her critics. There were plenty who argued against her methods, arguing that she was no better than any criminal for breaking the law as she did. 

Heejin believed differently. Every criminal she stopped, every mugging she prevented, and every gang boss she was able to hand over to the authorities, she made the city a safer place. 

A place where a father wouldn’t be randomly taken from his family in the blink of an eye. 

Of course, her critics didn’t agree. 

One of the most vocal was a rather popular blog run by one Kim Hyunjin. In reality, it was anonymous, but Heejin had gotten Jiwoo to track down who ran the website. In a few days, Jiwoo had provided a name, and Heejin was incredibly grateful that Jiwoo was there to help her out. 

Just in case, she told herself. She needed a name just in case this avid critic was a real threat to her operation. 

Unfortunately, Heejin learned, Kim Hyunjin was the culprit. The same Kim Hyunjin that Heejin was harboring a massive crush on. 

The girl was in her journalism class, despite being a pre-med major, and Heejin could barely look her in the eyes before her heart began to race and her palms began to sweat. She was gorgeous, and as Heejin watched her from afar, she began to fall head over heels for Hyunjin.

However, it would seem that Hyunjin felt the exact opposite towards her. Or, at least, she did towards Orbit. 

Hyunjin was  _ very  _ vocal about how Orbit was wrong and how she just further encouraged criminals with her vigilante actions. Heejin had read all of her posts about it, a frown painting her face as she scanned the extensive paragraphs Hyunjin had written. All aimed at how wrong and stupid she was. 

She told herself it didn’t bother her, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt every time she saw a new post from Hyunjin shitting all over Orbit. 

It was fine. She was fine. As long as Hyunjin never figured out her real identity, it didn’t matter. She could still get close to Hyunjin as Heejin. 

After all, Orbit and Heejin were two  _ very  _ different people.

  
  


“Jiwoo, are you hearing this?!” Heejin exclaimed, staring down at her phone screen in disbelief. 

Jiwoo sat across from her, indifferently munching on a blueberry muffin. She rolled her eyes. “ _ Yes,  _ I heard it,” she groaned, dramatically flopping against the table. “I also heard it the first thirty times you talked about it.” 

Heejin paid her no mind, her eyes scanning through the harsh words posted all over Hyunjin’s blog. Yet another post about how Orbit was an idiot, and how she clearly had no knowledge of how the law worked. 

Heejin strongly disagreed, thank you very much. She was  _ not  _ an idiot, and she had full knowledge of how the law worked. She just chose to ignore it. 

“I can’t believe she posted this,” Heejin said for what felt like the fifteenth time. 

Jiwoo let out another dramatic groan, glaring at Heejin. Heejin didn’t even notice, too focused on being outraged. 

Jiwoo took her opportunity, reaching out and snatching Heejin’s phone right out of her hands. “Gotcha!” she said, taking the phone and shoving it in her backpack. 

“Jiwoo!” Heejin whined, weakly reaching out for her phone. “I was reading that!” 

Jiwoo gave her a flat look. “Don’t lie to me,” she said. “I know you’ve already read that thing, like, five times.” 

Heejin glared. “Whatever,” she said. “Your point?” 

Jiwoo rolled her eyes. “ _ My point,”  _ she said. “Is that you shouldn’t focus on stuff like this. You’ll just worry yourself into a coma.” 

Heejin sighed. She knew Jiwoo was right, but something about Hyunjin’s words affected her more than others. 

Jiwoo’s eyes softened. “C’mon,” she said, playfully punching Heejin’s shoulder. “We came here to study.”

Heejin blinked, glancing around the small cafe they were in. If she was being honest, Heejin completely forgot about studying as soon as she saw the notification for Hyunjin’s post.

She sighed again, reaching towards her backpack in resignation. 

Hey eyes ran over the notes she had taken for her Economy class. The words were near-unintelligible. That teacher was famous for going entirely too fast, yet still trusting the students to understand everything she was talking about. 

After a few moments staring at a same word and being unable to tell what it was, Heejin groaned, dropping her notebook and flopping against the table. “It’s no use, Jiwoo,” Heejin whined, her voice slightly muffled. “I’m going to fail my Econ class. This is it for me.” 

Jiwoo rolled her eyes, laughing a bit at Heejin’s dramatics. “Will you calm down?” she said, resting her hand on Heejin’s extended arm. “You’ve survived this long. You can make it through one test.” 

Heejin jerked her head up towards her with a glare. “Can I?  _ Can I?”  _

Jiwoo laughed. “You literally fight crime in your free time, Heekkie,” she pointed out. “I think you can handle a single Econ test.” 

Heejin sighed, glancing around to see if anyone had heard them. 

“Look, if you’re really that concerned about it, you can borrow my notes from last year.” Jiwoo said, leaning back and reaching into her bag. “I recorded her lectures and rewrote my notes later so that I could actually read them.” 

Heejin looked at her with wide eyes as she wordlessly accepted the notebook from Jiwoo’s outstretched hands. “That’s,” Heejin said, seemingly rethinking her entire life. “That’s genius.” 

Jiwoo smugly smiled at her. “That’s why I’m your partner in crime.” 

They spent a few more hours inside the cafe until the owner finally kicked them out for closing. Heejin walked Jiwoo back to her apartment, waving her goodbye before swinging her backpack around her shoulder and heading towards her own dorms. 

Heejin was a second-year student, so her dorms were located pretty far from Jiwoo’s apartment. But that was fine, Heejin knew she was perfectly capable of defending herself. 

Didn’t stop her from being slightly afraid as she walked the dimly lit streets of the campus. 

The atmosphere of campus at night was always a little unsettling, if she was being honest. Even when she was Orbit, something about the environment was nerve-wracking. 

And now, the dim light of the lampposts and the abandoned roads were even more unsettling than usual. Heejin pulled her jacket a little closer, wrapping her arms around herself. 

Just as she was mentally debating how stupid it would be to teleport the rest of the way, she heard a bang from an alley she was passing. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound, jerking her head around to the dark area between the building. 

She squinted, fighting to see what was going on. 

Her eyes widened when she recognized the sound of a girl yelling. There was a struggle going on, and Heejin knew that whatever was happening, that girl was in trouble. 

She spared a moment to reach into her bag and grab her mask, quickly placing it over her eyes. She pulled the hood of her jacket up, hoping it would be enough to hide her identity for now. It wasn’t her full costume, but it should be enough as long as she was fast. 

Another yell sounded from the alley, along with a few grunts. Heejin wasted no more time before launching into action. She focused on that familiar tingle between her shoulder blades, taking a small breath before teleporting directly into the dark alley. 

She couldn’t see very well, but she was aware of what was going on, thanks to her heightened senses. 

A girl was locked in a struggle with a much larger man. The man was pushing her against the side of the building, clearly drunk off his ass. The woman was near-tears, shoving against the man as much as she could, but it was no use. The pair hadn’t noticed her yet. 

Heejin curled her lip, glaring at the man. She teleported directly behind him, reaching up and grabbing the back of his neck. She grunted as she teleported them both a few meters into the air.

The man yelled as he suddenly found himself flying towards the ground of the alley. 

Heejin’s face remained impassive as the man impacted with the concrete, yelling as he landed particularly hard on his arm. 

She landed safely on her feet, grunting slightly as she did. She was relieved that the fall hadn’t been higher. It was fortunate that her powers also included heightening agility and strength. It was just enough to make sure Heejin didn’t injure herself as she landed. 

She glanced over at the petrified woman, noticing her watching the exchange in shock. Heejin couldn’t make out her face in the dark of the alley, but she supposed it didn’t matter. 

At a particularly loud groan, Heejin whipped her head around towards the man collapsed on the ground. 

She walked over, curling her lip in distaste as she looked down at him. He was crying, cradling his left arm. 

She didn’t hesitate at this, reaching down and dragging his sorry ass off the ground. She slammed him against the wall of the alley, much like he had done with the girl beforehand. 

The man looked at her in fear. There was no doubt about it, Heejin noted. He knew who she was. “Please,” he begged, beginning to sober up out of fear. 

Heejin stared at him, her eyes narrowed. Finally, after what felt like ages, she finally sneered and let go. The man grunted as he fell to the ground again.

“ _ Leave,”  _ Heejin spat. 

The man didn’t need to be told twice. In mere seconds, he was stumbling up and tearing out of the alley, tripping over his own feet as he fled. 

Heejin took a deep breath, struggling to control her anger. It had taken more self-control than she expected to not beat that man to a pulp. 

A small sound had her turning back towards where she knew the girl was waiting. 

Except, she wasn’t waiting any longer. The girl hadn’t spared her a glance before running out of the alley as well. 

“Wait!” Heejin called after her. She didn’t look back. “It’s not safe!” 

It was no use. The girl was gone, peeling out of the alley in fear. 

Heejin knew she could easily catch up with her, but she wasn't keen on scaring her anymore than she already had. 

She sighed, taking off her mask and running a hand through her hair. It was days like this that had her questioning whether or not she was doing the right thing. Sure, she had stopped a scumbag from taking advantage of a girl, but she had also probably traumatized the girl in the process.

She didn’t dwell any longer on this, teleporting to the roof of the building. If she squinted, she could make out the small figure of the girl running away. 

She didn’t want to scare her, but she could make sure she got home okay. 

She teleported from rooftop to rooftop, watching the girl run home. By the time the girl made it to one of the apartment buildings near campus, Heejin was exhausted. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to teleport any further without running out of energy completely. 

Thankfully, she noticed, the girl had finally slowed down. She walked up the stairs of the apartment, wasting no time before unlocking the door to her room, slamming it behind her with a note of finality. 

Finally satisfied that the girl was safe, Heejin collapsed in exhaustion on the adjacent rooftop. 

She usually knew better than to push her limits like that, especially when she had barely eaten today, too involved in studying. 

After a few minutes spent trying to regain her energy, Heejin dragged herself up, groaning a bit. Her back was killing her, which was always a sure signal that she had pushed herself too far. 

During her initial trials with Jiwoo, she had managed to push herself so far she fell unconscious. When she woke up a few hours later, her back felt like it was on fire, the injury flaring up again at the overextension of her powers. Heejin had been afraid to teleport for days after that. 

Thankfully, after almost two years of doing this, Heejin knew her limits, and she knew that even if she overextended herself, she would be able to use her powers again after a few hours rest. And food. Lots of food. 

Heejin groaned when she realized she would have to drag herself back to her own dorm. Which was all the way across campus. 

She briefly debated just sleeping here on the rooftop, but she knew she had an Econ test tomorrow. She needed proper rest, and she couldn’t afford to accidentally miss class. 

With another dramatic groan, Heejin climbed down the fire escape and began her walk home. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin and Hyunjin meet under unfortunate circumstances, and Hyunjin rethinks her life choices.

Over the next few days, Heejin noticed something a bit weird. All over Hyunjin’s blog, people were begging for content, asking if she was okay, asking when she would be back. 

Which was understandable, considering Hyunjin hadn’t posted in  _ three  _ days. It was unheard of. Since the blog had begun, the longest Hyunjin had gone without at least posting an update was a day. 

When she had shown Jiwoo, the girl had simply shrugged. “What’s wrong?” she asked, noticing Heejin’s worried look. “Isn’t this what you wanted? For her to stop posting?” 

Heejin had nodded, but her face hadn’t changed. It wasn’t that she wanted Hyunjin posting all about how Orbit was a terrible person and how she was the real criminal, but she didn’t want Hyunjin to stop posting all together. Regardless of what the blog was about, Hyunjin was clearly passionate about it. The website was incredibly detailed and organized, which showed how much effort and energy Hyunjin put into it by itself. 

Besides, Heejin couldn’t help but be a bit worried. Aside from not posting, Hyunjin hadn’t shown up to their journalism class either. Heejin had periodically glanced at the door nearly the entire two-hour class. 

But Hyunjin hadn’t shown her face, and when Heejin asked around, it seemed she hadn’t shown up in her other classes either. 

Heejin was worried, for sure, but there wasn’t much she could do. Even Orbit was rather useless when it came to this. Aside from asking Jiwoo to find Hyunjin’s address (a huge invasion of privacy) and going to check on her herself (creepy), she was stuck. 

She could only hope that Hyunjin was doing alright, and that she would soon be back and roasting Orbit in no time. 

It was her worry for Hyunjin that consumed her that night in training. 

She sparred with Jiwoo for a while, practicing different take-down techniques and various taekwondo moves. Jiwoo could tell she was distracted, and it became pretty obvious she wasn’t very focused when she was thrown back against the training mat for the fifth time in 30 minutes. 

Heejin groaned as Jiwoo hummed a little in concern. “What’s up, Jin?” she asked, holding out her hand to help Heejin off the mat yet again. “That’s, like, the 16th time I’ve taken you down. Normally, you at least give me a challenge.” 

Heejin rolled her eyes, twisting around to stretch out the pained muscles in her back. She had gone on patrol this afternoon before training, and she had pushed her powers a little too far when she stopped a few men from robbing the local convenience store. “Please, if this was any other day, you would be the one on the mat.” 

Jiwoo tilted her head. “So, what’s different about today, then?” she asked. 

Heejin sighed, glancing down at the mat. She was lucky to have Jiwoo as a partner. Not only did the girl consistently help her train, she was a great friend and a good person on top of that. She had even offered up her family’s gym as their training place. Which was ideal, considering they were pretty intense when they trained. It might look a little strange if they started punching and kicking each other in front of the regular afternoon gym crowd. 

“It’s nothing, Jiwoo.” Heejin said. “I’m just tired from patrol this afternoon.” To punctuate her point, she stretched once again, twisting her torso and wincing as it stretched the scar that covered her back. 

Jiwoo frowned, noticing the red scarring that crept up the back of her neck. It was easy to tell the scar was massive, even with the large t-shirt Heejin wore. “Does it hurt?” she asked hesitantly. 

Heejin bit her lip. “A little,” she replied. It hurt pretty bad, if she was being honest. But she could deal with a little pain. Besides, she needed to train. “I’m fine though, just a little distracted. C’mon, let’s go again.” 

Before Jiwoo could reply, Heejin had already shifted into her fighting stance, planting her feet and curling her hands into fists. Jiwoo sighed, moving into her fighting stance as well. 

After a few second’s hesitation, they threw themselves into the fight. 

Jiwoo left after they finished sparring. She had asked if Heejin needed a ride home, but Heejin declined. She wanted to stay at the gym a little to train a bit longer. 

After promising not to push herself too hard and that she wouldn’t stay out too late, Heejin was left alone at the gym. 

She spent the next half-hour lifting weights and working on the punching bag. By the time it reached 10 pm, Heejin was exhausted. She landed one last punch on the bag, reaching out and steadying it before slumping over and breathing heavily. 

She really hoped Hyunjin was okay. 

Her mind was cluttered and unfocused when she packed up to leave, zipping up her workout bag and absentmindedly grabbing her keys. 

She turned off the lights as she left, and she took a few seconds to lock up. She glanced back at the abandoned parking lot, sighing as she did. Maybe she should have accepted Jiwoo’s offer for a ride home. Instead, here she was, forced to walk home alone at night. 

And her dorms were all the way across campus. 

Lovely. 

Inwardly groaning, Heejin adjusted her workout bag and began trekking towards her dorm. 

The streets were basically abandoned, she noticed, and the sidewalks were dimly lit by the yellow street lamps. It was unnervingly quiet, and Heejin briefly considered grabbing her earbuds and playing some music, just to fill the silence. She decided against it, though, too paranoid about not being fully aware of her surroundings. 

A few minutes passed, and Heejin was becoming more and more on edge. She wasn’t sure why she was so nervous, since she normally walked home alone at night, but something about tonight was different. 

She took a step under a street light, and as soon as her foot touched the ground, a chill rocked through her. 

Something was wrong. 

She jerked her head around, trying to control the fear that was creeping up in her throat. “Hello?” she called hesitantly. She was satisfied with how firm her voice sounded despite her fear. 

There was no response, but Heejin couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was here. 

She turned back around, intent on simply rushing home. Normally, she would teleport, but she was worried about how she had strained her powers earlier today. 

Just as she took a step forward, the sound of a leaf crunching echoed through the empty street. 

She whipped around, only to stumbled back as a shadowy figure began rushing towards her. 

She noticed the glint of a knife in the figure’s right hand, and Heejin barely threw herself to the side, narrowly dodging the blade as the figure swiped out at her. 

The figure stumbled a bit, and he whipped back around towards her. Heejin’s eyes widened as the figure was illuminated under the streetlamp. It was a man, tall and burly. His eyes were near-manic, and a wide grin stretched across his face. He wore dark clothes, clearly trying to stay hidden. 

“What the fuck-” Heejin spat, and she barely had time to react before the man was launching himself towards her again. 

Her body reacted for her, thankfully. Her hands reached out and gripped his wrist, twisting it and turning the knife away from her chest. She kicked out with her leg, striking the man in the torso before launching her knee upwards into his crotch. 

The man stumbled back, grunting a bit as Heejin pushed him back.

Heejin breathed heavily, still staring at the man with wide eyes. He let out an unsettling laugh, straightening and giving Heejin a manic grin. “Now, that’s more like it,” he said breathlessly. 

Heejin couldn’t help but step back at that. Who was this guy?

The man geared up to move towards her again, and Heejin made the call right then that she wasn’t going to let this man strike first yet again. 

She narrowed her eyes and launched herself forward before he could react. She was planning on feinting left and then striking with a hard kick to his right side. 

She was planning on doing that, at least, until he disappeared into thin air. 

Heejin stumbled, involuntarily letting out a small noise of surprise. 

There was a tense second of confusion and silence. Heejin clenched her jaw, waiting. 

Turns out, she didn’t have long to wait. There was a sudden sound from her left, and Heejin jerked back. Not fast enough, however, and a piercing pain struck on her left torso as her attacker sunk his knife directly into her gut.

Spots dotted her vision as she cried out from the sudden strike. She stumbled, her hand reaching down and tightly clutching her left side. She could feel blood leaking profusely from the wound. 

Heejin glanced up, blinking wearily. She was barely aware of her surroundings, almost delirious with pain. 

But she was aware of the man standing above her. She stumbled back, still tightly clutching her wound. The man grinned at her, holding out his now-bloody knife for her to see, almost mockingly. 

Heejin barely withheld a noise of pain as she forced herself to her feet, never taking her eyes off of her attacker. 

He laughed, seemingly taking amusement in her struggle to stay on her feet. “Wow,” he mocked. “So this is the great  _ Orbit”  _

Heejin blanched, unable to keep her eyes from widening. 

“I honestly expected more of a challenge.” the man said, his lip curling in distaste as he looked at Heejin. 

Anger consumed her, and with a momentary spurt of adrenaline, Heejin summoned the last bit of her energy. She focused on the familiar tingle, clenching her jaw and glaring up at her attacker. 

Before he could react, Heejin had teleported directly in front of him, launching her fist directly into his jaw with all the strength she could summon. 

The man grunted as her fist collided, stumbling back in shock and pain. Heejin didn’t give him anymore time to react, moving forward and kicking him viciously in the stomach.

Heejin struck the man again and again, grunting with the effort and giving him no time to recover or gain any ground against her. 

Just as she was about to grab the knife from the man and finally end this, her energy ran out. She stumbled on her feet, spots dotting her vision on again as a bolt of pain ran through her. Heejin fell to her knees with a groan. 

The man was breathing heavily, bleeding and bruised on the concrete. He forced out a breathless laugh, though, and Heejin looked up at him in tired confusion. Darkness was creeping on the edge of her vision and her entire body felt like it was on fire. On top of her literal  _ stab wound _ , her powers were spent, and her back was in agony.

“There she is,” the man said in barely a whisper. “There’s the fight I was looking for.” 

Heejin snarled. “Who the  _ fuck  _ are you?” she spat. 

The man laughed again, wiping the blood from his mouth. He stumbled to his feet, leaning heavily on his left leg. “We’ll be seeing each other again, Orbit.” he promised. 

He moved away, creeping back into the shadows of the street and leaving Heejin bleeding and injured on the sidewalk. She could barely see him anymore, but his voice sounded loud and clear through the empty air between them. 

“I’ll be back, Jeon Heejin,” he said, his voice sending chills down the back of her spine. “This isn’t over.” 

And then he was gone. As if he had never been there at all. 

Heejin’s heart was racing impossibly fast, and she was barely conscious at this point. She needed help,  _ now.  _

She managed to stumble to her feet and grab her bag from where it had fallen on the sidewalk. She grabbed her phone, the blood on her hand staining her phone screen.

She clicked on Jiwoo’s contact as fast as she could, only to find that she had no signal. Which was either incredibly unlucky, or sabotage from the man beforehand. She had a feeling it was the latter, and the man had planted a jammer somewhere around here. 

She didn’t have the time or energy to search for it. She was running out of time, and she knew it. She could barely stay on her feet at that point, and the bloodstain on her white shirt was just getting larger and larger.

She glanced around, trying to recognize where she was. 

And, looking up at the building across the street, she was startled to recognize the upstairs apartment number. It was the same apartment the girl from the alleyway had fled into. 

Heejin grimaced, stumbling towards the stairs to the building. It wasn’t ideal, by any means, but it was life-and-death at this point. 

She narrowly made it to the door of the apartment, blood dripping all over the ground as she dragged herself up the stairs, using one hand to cradle her wound and the other tightly gripping the railing. 

Heejin lifted her bloodstained hand, summoning the last of her energy to knock against the wooden door.  _ Hard.  _

It was nearly 10:30 at this point, and Heejin was banking on the fact that no self-respecting college student went to sleep before midnight. 

Luckily, she didn’t have long to wait before the door creaked open, revealing a surprisingly familiar face. 

Kim Hyunjin looked at her with shock, glancing down and noticing the massive bloodstain covering Heejin’s white shirt, the girl’s pale and sweaty face, and her unfocused eyes. 

Heejin smiled weakly at her. “Hi,” she said, wobbling on her feet. “Sorry about the blood.” 

And then she promptly fell unconscious, her eyes fluttering as she collapsed. 

Hyunjin barely had time to react before she reached out and caught the girl, grunting as she collapsed in her arms. 

  
  


Hyunjin sighed, running a hand through her hair. She fought to control her breathing, glancing back at the girl lying unconscious on her couch. 

What the fuck?  _ What the fuck?  _

First she almost got assaulted in an alleyway, and then a near-dead Jeon Heejin shows up at her door and apologizes about the  _ blood _ , of all things to focus on?

She grabbed a mug from her cupboard, intent on making herself a cup of coffee. Her hands shook as she waited. 

She stared at Heejin, her brows furrowed. 

Hyunjin barely knew how to react when Heejin had fainted, but then her medical training kicked in. She immediately lay the girl down and sprinted to get her first aid kit. She almost called 911, but considering Heejin had shown up here instead of calling for help, Hyunjin thought that she probably wanted to avoid the authorities. 

She found where the bleeding was originating, pulling up the girls shirt and wincing as she saw the massive wound marring the girl’s left torso. 

She fought to control her nerves as she began to administer aid. She cleaned the injury, generously pouring alcohol all over the wound. She was almost glad the girl was unconscious, as that would have hurt like a bitch. 

Hyunjin wasted no time before wiping away the blood and beginning to stitch up the wound. She recalled the lesson she had taken about giving stitches, trying her best to remember the proper way to do it. 

They were messy and a little uneven, but it did the job. After what felt like hours, Hyunjin could finally breathe again. She had stopped the bleeding, and Heejin’s breathing had steadied.

She grabbed a shirt from her bedroom, not liking the idea of leaving Heejin in her blood-covered shirt. 

When she cut away the bloody white shirt, Hyunjin’s eyes widened as she noticed the  massive scar covering Heejin’s entire upper back. She almost thought it was another injury, considering how irritated it looked. 

What happened to Heejin for her to have a scar like this?

Hyunjin shook away her thoughts and her concern, putting a new shirt on Heejin and carrying her over to the couch. The girl was rather light, so Hyunjin was able to carry her pretty easily. 

Which led to Hyunjin sitting at her kitchen table and tightly clutching the mug of coffee, rethinking all her life choices. Her hands were still shaking slightly, and she was sure the coffee wasn’t helping. It was nearly midnight, and Hyunjin already knew she was inevitably going to skip her classes tomorrow.

She groaned. She knew she was missing too much class right now, especially after she had skipped a few days following the alley incident. But there really wasn’t much she could do about this. She didn’t know how long Heejin was going to sleep, and she was worried about leaving her alone when she was still in rough shape. 

She flashed back to that night in the alleyway yet again. She clutched the mug tighter, her fingers turning white. 

That was the most terrifying night of her life, if she was being honest. She didn’t even want to go out in the first place, but her stupid friends had dragged her out to another party. They weren't even close, Hyunjin just talked to them sometimes and asked for the answers to the homework.

She hated the party, as usual. It was crowded, loud, and full of drunk college students. She barely drank, and after only an hour, she finally resolved to leave. Her friends were drunk off their asses, and she refused to be stuck dealing with them all night. 

Hyunjin left them to call an Uber to get home, and she left the house. 

It was pretty late, and the streets were empty and dark. She only noticed someone following her after a few minutes of walking. Hyunjin stuffed her hands in her pockets and walked a little faster. 

It was no use. The man easily caught up with her, easily shoving her towards the nearby alleyway. 

It was all a blur after that. There were tears, a struggle and a few yells. And then there was Orbit. The target of her consistent criticism and disapproval. 

Orbit, who had become her savior. 

She effortlessly tore the man off of her, dropping him roughly to the ground and slamming him up against the wall. She wasn’t in full costume, Hyunjin noticed through her haze of confusion. She was dressed in a simple hoodie and a pair of joggers. However, Hyunjin could still see the mask pressed against her eyes. 

Orbit was once someone who she didn’t believe in, who she didn’t trust to protect anyone. 

Now, she wasn’t sure what to think. 

She wasn’t sure why she didn’t stay and talk to her. She didn’t even let the vigilante walk her home. She simply ran and ran until she made it home. 

Hyunjin didn’t know how to feel. She was in a haze for the next few hours. 

Orbit was the target of her criticisms, a way for her to speak out against injustice and crime without addressing the real problems of the system. She wasn’t stupid, she knew that Orbit had a point in her actions, and that she was trying to do the right thing, although Hyunjin did think Orbit was just in it for the fame. The problem was, Hyunjin thought, that Orbit thought she was above the law. This line of thinking just led to more crime and more issues as a whole. 

As soon as someone thought they were above the law, they became criminals, regardless of intention. Hyunjin knew from experience. 

When she was in high school, her mom had been paralyzed, injured during a home invasion. Hyunjin had been at a basketball game at the time, hanging out with her friends and having fun. 

A common criminal had ruined her mother’s life, a criminal who thought he was above the law. 

So, yeah, Hyunjin did have a reason for why she hated Orbit. What was preventing her from doing the same to anyone? As a vigilante, she had every opportunity to hurt and kill. And there was no one to stop her if she went off the rails. 

But...now? Hyunjin just wasn’t sure anymore. 

Orbit clearly wasn’t in it for the fame or the notoriety as she had originally thought. She could have easily passed by Hyunjin in that alleyway and done nothing. The girl didn't get any thanks or appreciation for saving her, yet she had chosen to do so nonetheless.

She glanced over at Heejin. Her eyes drifted down to her torso yet again, where she knew the stab wound lay underneath the cloth of the t-shirt. 

It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. Besides the obvious physical resemblance between Heejin and Orbit, there was the fact that regular college students didn’t normally get stabbed and show up bleeding and near-dead at the door of a random girl from their journalism class. And what was up with that scar? 

So, yeah, Hyunjin knew that Heejin was likely Orbit, but she couldn’t exactly wrap her mind around it. The cute girl in her journalism classroom who stuttered every time they spoke was the same deadly vigilante that patrolled the streets of the city at night? The same highly skilled fighter that regular took on multiple larger enemies at a time? 

It was a bit hard to accept, Hyunjin thought as she looked at the tiny girl lying on her couch. 

She released another sigh. It had been a hell of a night. 

Toast. She needed toast. 

She walked over to the kitchen and tossed two pieces of bread into her shitty toaster. If there was anything that made a stressful night better, it was bread. Of any kind, really. 

She jumped when the sound of a groan came from the living room. Her eyes widened. There was no way Heejin was already awake, right? That seemed way too soon. 

However, when she walked into the living room, she was startled to see that Heejin’s eyes were wide open, and she was tightly gripping the back of the couch in an attempt to lift herself up. 

“Hey!” Hyunjin said, alarmed. “Stay still, you’ll tear the stitches.” 

Heejin whipped her head around, fear shining in her eyes until they landed on Hyunjin. Her face morphed into one of shock and her grip on the back of the couch loosened, leading to her falling roughly back down. 

“Ugh,” she grunted, squeezing her eyes shut. 

Hyunjin tilted her head and peeked over the edge of the couch to look at her guest. 

Heejin opened her eyes and looked up at Hyunjin. “Did I get blood anywhere?” she asked after a moment of silence. 

Hyunjin scoffed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “Is blood the only thing you’re worried about?” she asked incredulously. “You got  _ stabbed. _ ” 

Heejin sighed. “Yeah.” she agreed. 

Hyunjin ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah,” she admitted after a moment. “You got blood everywhere.” 

Heejin released a loud groan and threw her head back against the cushion. 

Hyunjin laughed a little, heading back to the kitchen as she heard the ding of the toaster. “You want toast?” she called over her shoulder. 

“Any food would be great, thanks,” Heejin replied.

Hyunjin grabbed one of the slices and began to butter it. She hesitated at the other one, unsure of whether or not Heejin would like butter. After a moment, she decided to leave it unbuttered, worried Heejin may be lactose intolerant or something. 

She brought out the toast, already munching on  her own slice. She shook her head  when she found Heejin sitting up on the couch, wincing as she held a hand to her torso. Her back was towards Hyunjin, giving her a full view of the scar creeping up the back of the girl’s neck. 

Hyunjin looked for a moment before clearing her throat to grab Heejin’s attention. Heejin turned, her eyes immediately darting to the toast. She eagerly grabbed it from Hyunjin, wolfing it down in just seconds. Hyunjin watched, shocked and almost impressed at the speed in which Heejin ate. 

“Hungry?” she asked after Heejin had finished. She couldn’t help but laugh at the crumbs left all around Heejin’s mouth. 

Heejin swallowed her last bite, glancing up at Hyunjin. “You could say that,” she offered, shrugging. 

There was a moment of silence as Hyunjin took a seat next to Heejin on the couch. “So,” Hyunjin said, finally breaking the tense quiet. “Are you going to explain to me what exactly happened? I stitched you up myself, ‘cuz it didn’t seem like you wanted the cops involved. For some reason.” 

There was a clear question in her comment. 

Heejin avoided her eyes, focusing on the small stain on the carpet. “Um,” she said, struggling to find the words. 

“You’re clearly Orbit,” Hyunjin said, waving at her to elaborate further.

Heejin winced, looking away. “Yeah,” she said, scratching the back of her neck. “I guess I am.” 

Hyunjin grabbed her hand, pulling Heejin’s attention back towards her. “Will you tell me what happened, Heejin?” she asked quietly. 

Heejin swallowed, a hint of red dusting her cheek at Hyunjin’s intense gaze. “Yeah,” she said after a moment. “Yeah, I will.” 

So Heejin explained everything. She felt she at least owed Hyunjin that, since the girl had done so much to help her. 

She told her how she had become a vigilante in college, leaving out her origin, as it didn’t seem particularly relevant. And she didn’t like to talk about it that much, if she was being honest. She explained the events of the alleyway from her point of view, and Hyunjin stilled at the mention of the event. Heejin scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed, when she explained how she had followed the girl home to make sure she made it there safely. That’s how she knew what apartment to go to, she told Hyunjin. 

Luckily, Hyunjin didn’t seem especially creeped out. If anything, she seemed almost pleasantly surprised at the news that Heejin had made sure she made it home okay. 

Heejin moved on, explaining the events of that night, mentioning the mysterious man and how he had somehow known her identity. She even told Hyunjin about his similar teleportation powers. 

She recalled how she had stumbled up to Hyunjin’s apartment because it was the closest place she could find. She apologized profusely for the circumstances of her visit at that, as well as the bloodstains she had likely left everywhere, but Hyunjin waved her off. 

Heejin became silent, nervously waiting for Hyunjin’s reply. Hyunjin nodded a bit, as if she was processing all the information she had been given. She had finished her toast, Heejin noticed. She knew Hyunjin was rather fond of bread, since she came into class everyday with a snack, and without fail, it was always a bread of some sort. 

Hyunjin interrupted her musings on bread when she turned towards Heejin with a curious look in her eyes. “So, what’s with the powers?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Heejin furrowed her brows. “My powers?” she asked. 

Hyunjin nodded. 

“My powers don’t matter,” Heejin replied. “Aren’t you more concerned about the mysterious murder guy who showed up right outside your apartment and stabbed me? Or the fact that I’m literally  _ Orbit?”  _

“I mean, yeah,” Hyunjin said with a shrug. “That’s concerning and all, and it’s kind of crazy that you’re Orbit, considering you’re like two feet tall, but I’m really curious about your powers. Always have been.” 

Heejin scoffed in disbelief. “I am not-” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Hyunjin interrupted. “You’re not that small, whatever. How the hell do you teleport?” 

Heejin looked at her incredulously. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?” she said. 

Hyunjin shrugged. “I just saved your life,” she pointed out. “Just answer my question, please?” 

Heejin frowned at that, sighing a bit. “Fine,” she said. “I got my powers from some weird space-rock thing.” 

Hyunjin narrowed her eyes. “ _ What?” _ she asked. 

“I was walking home from school, and I passed by this shady lab,” Heejin explained. “I heard a scream from inside, so I tried to go inside to help, but there was no one there. Instead, there was this weird crazy rock behind this huge locked door, and it struck me with lightning.” 

Hyunjin looked at her with wide eyes. 

“I woke up a few hours later, walked home, and then,  _ bam!  _ I could teleport.” Heejin said, gesturing with her hands as she spoke. “I woke up on the other side of my house so many times, actually, before I figured it out-” 

“I’m sorry,” Hyunjin interrupted, raising her hands. “A  _ rock  _ struck you with lightning? Am I hearing this right?” 

Heejin groaned. “See, this is why I don’t want to explain my powers,” she said. “No one’s gonna believe that it was a rock! I swear I’m not lying.” 

Hyunjin stared. 

Heejin stared right back, her eyes insistent. 

Hyunjin laughed a little. “That’s insane,” she said finally. 

“I  _ know.”  _ Heejin replied, collapsing against the back of the couch. “Believe me, I know.” 

Hyunjin glanced over at her. “Is that where the scar is from?” she asked. 

Heejin jerked her head towards her, eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How’d you know about the scar?” she asked. 

Hyunjin chuckled. “I can see it on the back of your neck,” she replied. “Also, you think that shirt just appeared out of nowhere?” 

Heejin’s eyes widened and she looked down at the t-shirt as if just noticing it wasn’t hers. Her mouth opened and closed as she stared at the fabric. 

“Yours had way too much blood on it,” Hyunjin offered with a shrug. “Thought it might be better if I just gave you one of mine.” 

Suddenly Heejin’s mouth was dry at the thought of Hyunjin seeing her without a shirt on. Then she blinked, forcing those thoughts from her mind.  _ Stop being creepy,  _ she yelled inwardly.  _ She had to give you stitches! Obviously she had to take your shirt off!  _

“Right,” Heejin managed. 

“So the scar is from the lightning?” Hyunjin asked hesitantly.

Heejin bit her lip, deciding that it wouldn’t hurt if she told Hyunjin. “Yeah,” she said with a nod. 

Hyunjin tilted her head. “Can I see it?” she asked quietly. 

Heejin whipped her head around towards her, eyes wide. “What?” she asked.

“Can I see it?” Hyunjin repeated, motioning to Heejin’s back. 

Heejin swallowed. “Yeah,” she replied after a moment. “Yeah, you can see it.” 

Hyunjin gave her a small smile before Heejin turned away, already reaching for the bottom of the shirt. She fought to control her breathing as she pulled up the edges, lifting the shirt upwards so that her back was exposed. 

Hyunjin couldn’t withhold her gasp. She hadn’t been able to see that scar that well beforehand. Now, seeing it directly in front of her, she couldn’t help but be shocked. 

Heejin’s bra blocked some of the injury, but plenty of the red, twisted skin was still clear to see. Hyunjin couldn’t help but reach out a hand to touch the scar. The skin was knotted and rough where her fingers made contact, and Heejin shivered at the soft touch. 

“Is this okay?” Hyunjin whispered, her eyes still fixated on the red marking covering her back. 

Heejin nodded, swallowing as she felt Hyunjin’s hand run a line down the curve of her shoulder blade, tracing the edge of the scar. Her touch was featherlight and hesitant, and Heejin could barely feel her fingers. 

She couldn’t withhold the flinch, though, as Hyunjin reached the very center of the scar, the point directly between her shoulder blades. Normally, this wouldn’t hurt, but since her powers had been strained from her patrol and the fight with the man, the injury was particularly aggravated. 

Hyunjin’s hand immediately retreated, her eyes widening with alarm. “I’m sorry,” she said. 

“It’s okay,” Heejin insisted, finally dropping the shirt and turning back towards Hyunjin with a sigh. “It’s just aggravated because I used my powers so much.” 

Hyunjin tilted her head at that. “So the scar directly responds to how much you use your powers?” she asked. 

Heejin nodded. “Pretty much,” she said. “If I push my powers too far, it begins to hurt really badly.” 

Hyunjin hummed her acknowledgement, and Heejin noticed the way her face seemed to scrunch up a little in concern. 

“It’s fine, I swear,” Heejin insisted, waving a dismissive hand. “I’m used to it.” 

Hyunjin nodded, but she didn’t seem satisfied. 

Silence consumed the room, and Heejin couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Okay, a lot nervous. She had never revealed her identity before, except to Jiwoo. And here she was, telling a complete stranger her life story. 

Not that Hyunjin was a complete stranger or anything, but they weren’t especially close (no matter how much Heejin wanted them to be). 

And on top of that, she knew that Hyunjin happened to be a very avid hater of Orbit, based on the numerous rants posted on her blog. But, even now that Hyunjin knew she was Orbit, her attitude towards Heejin hadn’t changed. She wasn’t angry or disgusted, like Heejin thought she would be. She seemed downright concerned about Heejin’s safety, which was a reaction Heejin would have never anticipated. 

Her musings were interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. “Heejin?” Hyunjin was asking, a playful smile on her face. “You in there?” 

Heejin blinked, staring at Hyunjin’s perfect hand resting on her shoulder. She flushed when she realized she still hadn’t responded. “Yeah, sorry,” she stammered. “I’m good, I’m fine.” 

Hyunjin chuckled. “Well, do you want to watch some TV?” she asked, reaching for her remote and leaning back into the couch. 

Heejin hesitated. She had already stayed way past her welcome. Scratch that, she hadn’t even been welcomed at all. She glanced towards the door. “I should probably get home,” she said. “You’ve already helped me out so much, I don’t want to intrude anymore than I already have-” 

“Are you crazy?” Hyunjin interrupted, giving her an incredulous look. 

Heejin jumped a little at the tone of her voice. She tilted her head unsurely. “No…?” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes. “You’re not going anywhere, you idiot,” she said, already browsing Netflix for something to watch. “You have, like, 30 stitches on your stomach, you’ve gotten barely any rest, and I know for a fact that you will fall over as soon as you stand up.” 

Heejin frowned, a little indignant. “You don’t know that,” she responded, crossing her arms. 

She made no move to get up. 

Hyunjin snorted. “Girl, I saw firsthand how much blood you lost,” she said. “It’s a miracle you’re even awake right now.” 

She glanced over. “Wait, is healing one of your powers?” she asked, eyes wide. 

Heejin frowned a little. “If it is, it’s not very helpful,” she replied. “I’ve gotten my ass kicked plenty of times and I had to wait for the injuries to heal like a normal person every time.” 

Hyunjin nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps it’s not as significant as you think,” she proposed. “Maybe it takes the form of a little extra energy when you thought you had none, or a tiny bit of strength to help you heal a major wound a little faster.”

Heejin looked at her skeptically. 

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Hyunjin said, turning back to the TV. “You really shouldn’t be conscious right now. I honestly thought you were going to sleep for another few hours at the very least.” 

SIlence filled the room as Heejin thought a little bit more. She had noticed that she tended to have random bursts of energy when she seemed to need it most, but she always waved it off as adrenaline. And if Hyunjin was right, and she should still be unconscious right now, maybe there was some credence to what she was saying.

She had only been with Hyunjin for an hour at most, and the girl had already made her reconsider everything she knew about her powers. 

Bizarre. 

“How does Naruto sound?” Hyunjin asked, looking relatively indifferent. Heejin jerked her head to the TV, her face lighting up as soon as she saw the screen. 

“Hell yeah!” she said immediately. 

Hyunjin looked over at her, mildly alarmed, before shrugging and pressing play. 

There was something magnetic about Heejin, Hyunjin mused as they watched the anime. She seemed rather normal at first glance, if a bit awkward, but now Hyunjin knew better. She had seen Orbit in action firsthand, and she was not someone to mess with. The thought that someone had been able to keep up with her in combat, had been able to critically injure her? It was alarming, to say the least. 

Hyunjin stole a glance at the object of her thoughts, a small smile forming on her face as she noticed the enraptured look on Heejin’s face as she watched the TV. Cute. 

Hyunjin bit her lip. What was it about Heejin? Sure, she had always thought the girl was cute, but Hyunjin was beginning to see her in a different light because of tonight. 

She internally snorted. Stitching up a life-threatening wound was one way to get to know each other. 

Heejin had actually been surprisingly open with her tonight, as if she really trusted her with her secrets. She had even told her about the scar, which seemed to be a bit of a touchy subject for her. 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. Here Heejin was, exposing herself and her cause to a near-stranger, and Hyunjin used much of her free time to post all about how Orbit was horrible. 

She was wrong. Orbit wasn’t horrible, and she wasn’t entitled or self-involved like Hyunjin thought she’d be. She was a normal girl who was trying to do the right thing. Orbit was someone who was trying to use the powers that had been forced on her to help others. 

And all Hyunjin did was criticize her. 

She glanced over a Heejin once again with a frown. The guilt was becoming stronger, she noticed. 

With a sigh, she got up and grabbed the blanket from the opposite couch, wordlessly draping it over herself and Heejin as she sat back down. 

Heejin looked over at her with a curious expression, but Hyunjin pretended not to notice. 

Soon enough, they were both consumed with watching the TV, a comfortable silence filling the room.

Before she knew it, they had watched almost five episodes. Hyunjin blinked as she noticed the time, eyes wide. She turned to Heejin to tell her that they should probably go to sleep, only to find the girl already snoring. 

She was curled into the blanket, leaning against the opposite arm of the couch. Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile as she noticed the calm look on the girl’s face, and the way her lips were slightly parted as she snored. 

Hyunjin sighed, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV. She stood from the couch, careful not to make too much noise. Sparing one more fond glance at the superhero snoring on her couch, she draped the entire blanket over her and retreated to her bedroom. 

She stared at her ceiling that night, eyes wide open and too many thoughts racing through her mind to even think about sleep. 

She thought back to the sight of Heejin peacefully sleeping on her couch, a warm feeling blooming in her chest at the image. 

She was so fucked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey thanks for reading if you made it this far :) leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin and Hyunjin share a moment, and Chaewon struggles with her own morality.

Over the next few weeks, Heejin and Hyunjin developed a schedule of sorts. In the morning, since they both had an 8:00 am class, they would meet at the cafe in between their homes, drink a cup of coffee or two and just talk for a bit. Then, after all their classes had ended for the day, Heejin would make her way to Hyunjin’s place. It was normally evening by this point, and by the time Heejin made it to the apartment, it was nearly dark outside. 

Hyunjin would make sure everything with Heejin’s injury was going well, changing the bandages when necessary and making sure she cleaned it regularly. Then, after that was done, they would sit on Hyunjin’s couch for a bit and watch TV. 

Hyunjin never liked sending Heejin home in the dark, but Heejin insisted that she would be fine. After all, for three out of five days of the week, she patrolled at night anyway. On those nights, Heejin would always bring her supplies over to Hyunjin’s place after class. When she left around 9:00, she would leave as Orbit, dressed in all-black with a mask fixed on her face. 

Every time the door closed behind Heejin when she left, Hyunjin couldn’t help the wave of anxiety that washed over her. She knew that Heejin wasn’t going to let her injury stop her from being Orbit, but Hyunjin couldn’t help but be worried she would get hurt. After all, that mysterious stabby guy hadn’t shown his face since the events of that night, despite promising he’d be back. 

Hyunjin was just concerned that Heejin would begin to let her guard down enough for him to finish the job this time. 

And she couldn’t really deny the fact that she was beginning to become very attached to Heejin. Hyunjin often found herself staring at the girl when she was certain Heejin wouldn’t notice. She knew she was being creepy, but she couldn’t help but be a bit enraptured by her. She was gorgeous, that was obvious. But Hyunjin slowly found herself falling for the clumsy girl who tripped over air when she walked through her apartment. For the girl who almost cried out of fear when a bird had flown into the cafe one morning, forcing Hyunjin to comfort her until the employee had managed to get the bird out. For the girl who spent hours and hours patrolling the city at night, losing sleep just in case someone, _anyone,_ needed her help. 

She was falling for Jeon Heejin, and Hyunjin wasn’t sure she could stop if she tried. 

She hadn’t yet told Heejin about the blog, but she hadn’t posted in a couple weeks. Sometimes, Hyunjin would go back and read through her posts, cringing a little. At the time, Hyunjin believed wholeheartedly in what she was saying, but now, all Hyunjin could see was the bitterness in her words. The girl who had written those words was angry at the world, angry about what had happened to her mom, and angry that someone was actually doing something about the crime that plagued their city when Hyunjin couldn’t do anything.

Hyunjin was glad she didn’t feel that way anymore. Despite only knowing Heejin for a few weeks, she knew the girl was a good person, and that she shouldn’t have been the target of her hatred or bitterness. 

Now, Hyunjin was happy to help Orbit. She helped sew up the holes in her costume from rough landings and intense fights. She made sure Heejin had plenty to eat so that she wouldn’t run out of energy too fast, even going so far as to pack protein bars in her bag before she left for patrol. And when Heejin inevitably pushed herself too far and came back to Hyunjin’s apartment dead on her feet, explaining that her dorms were too far, Hyunjin always let her in. She would rub ointment on Heejin’s scar, since it was almost always inflamed on nights like that. It didn’t fix the problem, but Heejin found it alleviated the pain, at least, so Hyunjin insisted. Then she ushered Heejin to her bed, even though Heejin insisted she would be fine on the couch. Hyunjin would wait until she fell asleep and move to the couch herself, sighing to herself. She wished Heejin wouldn’t push herself so hard, but she knew the girl was too stubborn to quit sometimes. 

Soon enough, their routine had stretched on for months, long after Heejin’s injury had healed. Still, neither of them mentioned it when Heejin still showed up at her place after classes. They still watched TV together, and Heejin still went on patrols three days a week, plus weekends. 

On weekends, Hyunjin spent time with both Heejin and her friend, Jiwoo. Jiwoo was energetic and friendly, and Hyunjin immediately got along with her. Although, she admitted, she suspected it would be hard to  _ not  _ get along with Jiwoo. 

Jiwoo let her in on their whole operation, explaining the patrolling schedule and locations Orbit surveyed every night. Hyunjin couldn’t help but be impressed at the thought put into the complex system of patrols and times and places. Jiwoo had thought through every detail, even going so far as to catalogue the regular crimes committed in each area and at what time. When Hyunjin had voiced how impressed she was, Jiwoo beamed at her, and Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile back. The girl’s energy was absolutely infectious. 

Soon enough, Hyunjin was even invited to Jiwoo and Heejin’s training sessions. They usually trained two days a week for a few hours at a time, and they occasionally fit in some sparring between classes. 

The first time she had gone, it was on a whim. Heejin had been leaving Hyunjin’s apartment after they had watched some TV, and she casually mentioned going to train with Jiwoo. She had stopped on her way to the door, however, peering back at Hyunjin with an unreadable look on her face. “Do you want to go with me?” she asked after a moment. 

Hyunjin nearly choked on her drink. “Me?” she asked, eyes wide. “To train?”

Heejin snorted. “I mean, yeah,” she said. “You’re the only you I know. And besides, training makes it sound intense. It’s basically a glorified workout.” 

Hyunjin had hesitantly accepted, quickly going to her room to throw on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. 

It turns out, Heejin was lying about her workout not being intense. Hyunjin wasn’t normally one to work out at all, much less this extensively. She had dropped out halfway through, claiming she needed water. Then she just sat down the rest of the time. 

Heejin didn’t seem annoyed, though. If anything, she was amused. She threw glances at Hyunjin periodically as she trained, giving her a smile or a wink. Hyunjin absolutely did  _ not  _ blush when this happened. She was just hot. 

The _temperature_ was hot, she meant. 

It was hot inside the gym. 

Yep. 

Regardless, it was objectively true that Heejin and Jiwoo were absolute  _ beasts  _ in the gym. They knocked out some pretty hefty weights like it was nothing, and Heejin didn’t even seem winded after the intense cardio they did. 

Hyunjin could only watch in shock. Don’t get her wrong, she wasn’t out of shape or anything, but Heejin and Jiwoo were on another level. Hyunjin was beginning to understand how Heejin was able to keep up with all her enemies when she fought. 

This became even more clear when Jiwoo and Heejin began to spar. Apparently, they didn’t hold back despite being very close friends. Punches and kicks were regularly thrown, and neither hesitated at throwing the other against the mat. 

Hyunjin could only watch, mystified, as Jiwoo and Heejin viciously fought each other, barely dodging and weaving through a flurry of punches and kicks from the other, before laughing and smiling as soon as one of them had tapped out. 

“You guys are crazy,” she called as Heejin fell against the mat with a loud “Oof!” Jiwoo had just pushed her back with a kick to the stomach before sweeping her feet out from under her and throwing her to the ground. Apparently, Jiwoo wasn’t one to be messed with either. 

“I agree,” Heejin groaned from the ground, still clutching her stomach. 

Jiwoo laughed a little, holding out a hand to help her friend up. “Sorry, Heekie,” she offered good-naturedly. “But you know those guys out there aren’t gonna hold back either.” 

Heejin groaned again, reluctantly nodding as she took Jiwoo’s hand. 

She dusted herself off, throwing Jiwoo a glare. “How is it that  _ I’m  _ the vigilante here, and yet you somehow kick my ass every other time we fight?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “Do you have some secret powers you’re hiding from me?” 

Jiwoo snorted, already moving towards her workout bag to pack up. “Yeah,” she said. “It’s called ten years of taekwondo.” 

Heejin sighed. “Yeah,” she admitted. “That tracks.” 

She walked over to Hyunjin, offering her a hand. Hyunjin gladly took it, trying not to focus on the warmth of Heejin’s hand as she helped her off the floor of the gym. “Sorry I dragged you here,” she offered. “Just thought it might be fun.” 

Hyunjin shrugged. “It’s cool,” she replied. “It was actually pretty fun to watch you guys.” 

Heejin blushed a little. “I’m glad,” she said. 

They maintained eye contact for a little too long before they were interrupted by the sound of Jiwoo clearing her throat. She gave them a knowing look, raising her eyebrows. “I’m gonna go ahead and head back to my place,” she told them. “You two have fun.” 

Both of them muttered goodbyes, pointedly avoiding each other’s eyes as Jiwoo left. Heejin walked over to her own bag, grabbing her water bottle and taking a quick swig. 

She glanced over at Hyunjin, who was busy staring at the ceiling and studying the very interesting stain directly above her head. Heejin grinned, an idea popping into her head. “Hey,” she said, grabbing Hyunjin’s attention. “Do you want to see something cool?” 

Hyunjin was unsure, but she couldn’t resist the wide smile crossing Heejin’s face. “Sure,” she replied with a shrug. 

Heejin nodded, clearly very excited. “Okay, okay,” she said, grabbing her water bottle again and holding it out in front of her. “Check this out.” 

She shut her eyes, her expression becoming serious as she tried to focus. Hyunjin watched with furrowed brows, wondering what Heejin was trying to do.

And then, out of nowhere, the bottle disappeared from Heejin’s hand with a flash of blue light and dropped out of thin air a few feet away, landing on the ground with a small sound. 

Heejin whipped her head around to Hyunjin, her eyes lit up with excitement and a wide, delighted smile on her face. “Eh?” she asked, holding out her hands expectantly. 

Hyunjin blinked, opening her mouth and then closing it as she tried to find the words. “That was really cool,” she finally said, eyes wide.

Heejin seemed unbothered by how brief her response was, nearly jumping with excitement as she walked over and picked up the water bottle once again. “I know!” she agreed. “I’ve been working on teleporting objects, but it’s harder than I thought it would be.” 

Hyunjin nodded. “How did you even figure out you could do that?” she asked. 

Heejin laughed, and Hyunjin ignored the way her heart clenched at the sound. “THat’s actually a really funny story,” she said. “I was studying for a really important Econ test, and Jiwoo was sitting on the other side of the room. I got super frustrated with a question I was working on, and I threw my pencil to the ground. Then Jiwoo screamed because a pencil fell out of thin air onto her head with unnatural force.” 

Hyunjin snorted. “When Econ is so stressful that it causes you to unlock an entirely new power.” 

Heejin gravely nodded. “Oh yeah,” she agreed. “That class is  _ horrible."  _ She shivered just thinking about it. 

Hyunjin glanced around the room again. “So you only train with Jiwoo?” she asked, taking a seat on one of the benches scattered around the room. 

Heejin nodded, leaning up against a table. “Pretty much,” she replied. 

“Is it different than when you actually face criminals?” 

Heejin tilted her head, contemplating the question. “Yeah,” she offered. “I’d say so.” 

“How so?” 

“Well, when I fight Jiwoo, even though we don’t hold back, I know I’m not going to get hurt.” she explained. “When I’m fighting a criminal, or whoever, I’m never really safe, you know? Even if they’re inexperienced, or bad at fighting, there’s always the off-chance that they’ll have something up their sleeve, so I always have to be on-guard.” 

Hyunjin was quiet for a moment. “I never thanked you,” she said quietly. 

Heejin’s face morphed into one of concern as she noticed Hyunjin’s change in tone. “For what?” she asked, straightening. 

Hyunjin stared at the ground. “That night in the alley,” she replied. “I thought it was over for me.” 

Heejin held her breath as Hyunjin spoke, noticing the way the girl’s hand seemed to tremble slightly as she spoke. 

“I’d never been so relieved when you showed up,” she admitted. “I didn’t even want to go to that stupid party. My friends dragged me there and then left me alone. I didn’t even know someone was following me until it was too late.” 

Her fists were tightly clenched, and Heejin noted the way Hyunjin fixed her stare on the ground. “Hey,” Heejin said, making her way over to the girl. “That’s not your fault. You shouldn’t have to be worried about some scumbag following you home,” 

Hyunjin didn’t look up. “Yeah,” she said, unconvinced. 

Heejin wordlessly sat next to her, grabbing her hand. “Listen to me,” Heejin said, grabbing Hyunjin’s attention. “It’s not your fault. I could’ve happened to anyone, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” 

Hyunjin nodded, swallowing. 

“But nothing happened,” Heejin continued. “You got out, you made it home safe.” 

Hyunjin laughed a little, looking up at Heejin. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Thanks to you.” 

Heejin smiled back at her, squeezing her hand a little tighter. 

“I just never want to feel that helpless again,” Hyunjin admitted, looking back towards the floor. 

Heejin sighed, frowning. Then she sat up a little, a thought crossing her mind. “And you won’t have to,” she said, certainty clear in her voice. 

Hyunjin furrowed her brows. “What-” 

Before she could say anything, Heejin was pulling her from the bench and towards the training mat. “Let me teach some self-defense techniques,” she said, giving Hyunjin a warm smile. “I can help you learn to fight.” 

Hyunjin hesitated, clearly unsure. She opened her mouth to protest, but Heejin held up her hand. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll start simple,” she reassured her. “I can just teach you some simple ways to get out of a hold or how to deal with someone following you. Once you get that down, if you still want to continue, I can help train you after I spar with Jiwoo.” 

Hyunjin swallowed. She thought about it, scratching the back of her neck. It  _ would  _ be useful to know how to deal with handsy men, were something like that ever to happen again, god forbid. 

She looked up at Heejin, taking in her earnest smile and the way she looked at Hyunjin with so much care and consideration. 

“Okay,” she agreed with a small smile on her face. “I’d like that.” 

She couldn’t contain her laugh as Heejin cheered exaggeratedly, jumping up and down and waving her hands in the air. “It’ll be fun, I swear,” Heejin insisted. 

“I’ll try to go easy on you, Jeon,” Hyunjin teased, giving the girl a challenging smile.

Heejin grinned back at her, eyebrows raised. “That’s a relief,” she said, playing along and raising her hands in surrender. “I was worried you would just kick my ass and break my heart in the process.” 

Hyunjin laughed at the way Heejin’s hands clutched at her heart dramatically. “Careful, there,” she said. “I’m still considering it.” 

After that, Hyunjin began to regularly attend their training sessions. She still didn't work out nearly as intensely as Jiwoo and Heejin, but she usually got some exercise in. She would wait for the pair to finish sparing before learning some self-defense with Heejin. 

Despite what Hyunjin said about kicking Heejin’s ass, it tended to be quite the opposite. Not that Heejin was rough or anything, but Hyunjin knew that even when the girl was holding back an enormous amount, she could still easily take down Hyunjin. However, she was incredibly patient with her, carefully going over each of the techniques she taught with Hyunjin a couple times before they actually tried it. 

Hyunjin couldn’t deny that training with Heejin was...challenging. Even without the taxing exercise and the difficult holds Hyunjin attempted to escape, the two of them were in very close proximity. 

She had gotten distracted more times than she could count when she noticed Heejin’s hand clutching her side, holding her closer. Or when Heejin pushed her to the ground, her face mere inches from Hyunjin’s as she tried to demonstrate how to get out from under someone. Could Hyunjin really be blamed if she rarely listened to anything Heejin was saying? Her eyes were beautiful and distracting, and when Heejin was that close, it was hard to focus on anything other than the small space between their faces. Had Heejin always had that cute mole underneath her eye? 

Heejin didn’t seem to be all that affected by the close proximity, but Hyunjin noticed how quickly she would move away from Hyunjin after they finished, her cheeks usually dusted red.

Hyunjin was about 60% sure that Heejin felt the same way she did, but she wasn’t nearly sure enough to actually confess or anything. Hyunjin could easily be projecting, seeing things where there was actually nothing. 

So she decided to wait. She was going to tell her eventually. Probably. She was just taking the time to gather more evidence. 

Meanwhile, she just hoped she wouldn’t combust in the middle of a training session. 

It all came to a head one night at the gym. It was an off-day, so Jiwoo wasn’t there, and Heejin would have to leave soon to go on patrol. Heejin was laughing at a joke Hyunjin had told about her teacher, and Hyunjin pointedly ignored the way her heart fluttered at the sound. They were mostly messing around at this point, clearly losing focus. Heejin had tried to teach her a move for about five minutes before she gave up trying to get Hyunjin to focus and instead collapsed on the mat next to her. 

“I’m serious!” Hyunjin insisted. Heejin was laughing so hard, she could barely respond. “It really happened!” 

Heejin looked over at her disbelievingly. “You want me to believe,” she managed between gasps for air. “That your teacher was actually caught looking at porn during class?” 

Hyunjin nodded. “He accidentally projected it on the screen in front of the whole class when he was trying to pull up the campus website.” 

Heejin was cackling at this point, the sound echoing throughout the empty gym. “I wish I had seen it,” she said wistfully, wiping a tear from her eye. 

Hyunjin snorted, lying back against the mat and staring up at the ceiling. “Believe me, you don’t,” she insisted. “It was the most awkward moment of my life.” 

Heejin let out a small giggle. “I doubt that,” she said, giving Hyunjin a teasing smile. “You’re pretty awkward.”

Hyunjin let out a dramatic gasp, turning towards Heejin with a hand placed over her chest. “How dare you,” she breathed. “ _ Jeon Heejin  _ is calling  _ me  _ awkward? Um, I’m pretty sure I clearly remember you tripping over thin air and falling on your face in the middle of class last week.” 

The girl beside her frowned, glaring at Hyunjin. “Okay, you promised you wouldn’t talk about that,” she said, crossing her arms.

In a flash of bravery, Hyunjin smirked. She easily closed the distance between them, laughing and playfully pinning Heejin to the floor. “Oh yeah?” she challenged with a grin. “Are you gonna do something about it?” 

Heejin seemed surprised at her boldness, her mouth parting as she noticed the way Hyunjin pressed her hands against the ground and straddled her waist. Then, she smirked. “I might,” she replied, narrowing her eyes. “Think you can stop me?” 

Before Hyunjin could say a word, Heejin was moving, pushing herself from the mat and easily reversing their positions in one fell swoop. Hyunjin was left wide eyed and breathless, now pinned against the mat where Heejin had just been laying. 

“What’re you gonna do now, huh?” Heejin challenged with a grin. 

Even in this close position, with Heejin quite literally straddling her, all Hyunjin could focus on were those captivating eyes of hers. Her smile caused them to crease into a smooth crescent moon shape, and Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice how radiant Heejin looked right now, her entire face lit up by her grin. 

After a moment, Heejin seemed to notice Hyunjin’s lack of response. Her smile faded as she looked down at her friend,  _ really  _ looked at her. She was beautiful. Her glossy black hair was splayed around her, her lips were slightly parted as she gazed into Heejin’s eyes. 

Suddenly, the distance between them seemed entirely too close. Heejin could feel how fast her heart was beating, and she struggled to control her sudden nerves. She glanced down at Hyunjin’s lips. 

She wanted to kiss her. 

Almost as if she read her mind, Hyunjin seemed to lean forward, lifting her head a couple inches from the ground. 

Heejin held her breath, closing her eyes and leaning in as well, ready to meet the girl half-way. 

That is, until a piercing ringing sound startled her out of the moment and caused her to tumble off of Hyunjin with a small yelp. She blinked a few times, glancing back at Hyunjin, who was still in the same position, staring at the place where Heejin had been with a dazed expression. 

Heejin will admit that it took entirely too long for her to realize that the ringing sound was her phone, the ringtone sounding loud and clear from where she had stuffed the device in her bag earlier. 

She stumbled off the ground, fighting to control her racing heart as she made her way over to the bench where her bag was. 

“Hello?” she answered after a few too many rings. She was satisfied to note that her voice sounded steady, despite her uncontrollable nerves. 

She stole a glance back at Hyunjin, who was now off the floor and moving towards her own bag, pointedly avoiding her eyes. 

Any thoughts she may have had about this were interrupted by the loud sound of Jiwoo’s voice through the speaker. Heejin started, pulling the phone back from her ear and wincing. The girl was speaking too fast and loud for her to make out anything, but Heejin was immediately concerned. Jiwoo rarely called before Heejin went on patrol, and if she did, it was just to remind her of where she was supposed to go and what to look out for. 

This was clearly different. 

“Jiwoo!” Heejin cried into the phone, interrupting the girl’s panicked words. “Slow down, I can’t understand anything you’re saying!” 

Jiwoo’s voice cut out, and there was a loud rustle in the background. Heejin’s eyes widened when she thought she heard the sound of someone screaming. “Heejin!” came Jiwoo’s loud voice once again. “Heejin!” 

“I’m here, Jiwoo,” Heejin replied, brows furrowed in concern. “What’s going on?” 

Hyunjin whipped her head around, noting the slight panic entering Heejin’s tone. 

“There’s a fire!” Jiwoo screamed through the phone. “At my apartment! There’s no way out, me and my roommate are trapped in our room! Everyone else made it out but we’re still stuck and we’re not sure the firefighters know we’re in here.”

Jiwoo’s voice sounded panicked, and Heejin could hear her roommate’s cries for help through the phone speaker. 

“Okay, okay,” Heejin breathlessly replied, already picking up her stuff and running towards the door. She could feel her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. She barely noticed Hyunjin chasing after her, a worried look on her face. “Don’t worry, Jiwoo, I’m coming! I’m on my way!” 

Heejin ripped the door open, sprinting through the parking lot. However, she stopped when a hand grabbed her wrist. “Heejin,” came Hyunjin’s terrified voice. What’s-” 

Heejin glanced back at her with a desperate look. “I’m sorry, I have to go,” she sputtered, already pulling her hand away. “Jiwoo’s in trouble, there’s a fire,” 

And before Hyunjin could say anything, Heejin had dropped her bag to the concrete and teleported away, disappearing into thin air. Hyunjin furrowed her brows, struggling to control her worry as she noticed Heejin appearing a little ways into the distance before immediately teleporting again. 

Hyunjin released a shaky breath when she looked up. Her eyes widened as she noticed the thick plume of smoke coming from the far side of campus. 

Right where Jiwoo’s apartments were. 

A few days before….

Chaewon had always hated this lab. 

It was cold, dreary, and had the distinct feeling of a hospital. 

However, she had little time to ponder how the lab felt, since she was already late to her meeting. She had been lucky to even get this internship, she knew. She had had to jump through so many hoops to even step foot in the lab, and now she was invited to look in on a top secret meeting? Well, invited is a strong word, since she was just supposed to bring everyone coffee, but it was basically the same thing. To think that she would lose the entire internship because she was two minutes late to one meeting? 

Chaewon ran harder. 

She remembered when she first became interested in genetic research. She was younger, in high school, she thinks, when she had seen a Youtube video about the advancing research concerning genetic mutations and similar practices. 

Her classmates had been extremely bored and uninterested, but Chaewon had been transfixed at the idea that you could actually change a person’s DNA. Change who they were. 

When she reached her second year at college, following her dream of becoming a scientist, she had gotten word of Block Berry Laboratories. The branch was famously selective in who it hired, but when Chaewon heard rumors of a significant breakthrough involving genetic mutation, she knew she  _ had  _ to work there. 

She had gone through the hoops, she had been driven and hard-working, sacrificing hours upon hours to make sure she got the highest test scores and the best GPA possible. 

And it all paid off. She had been accepted as an intern, and she wasn’t going to fuck it up now. 

Her furious footsteps echoed down the empty hallways as she ran to the meeting room, struggling to carry all of the coffee and not spill it in her hurry to get there. 

When she finally found herself facing the large wooden door, she paused for a moment, straightening her clothes and taking a deep breath to collect herself. Then, mentally hoping for the best, she pushed open the doors. 

Thankfully, no one seemed to spare her a glance as she walked in. The scientists and the profits branch were already locked in a heated argument. 

Chaewon held her breath as she scurried around the table, trying hard to not be noticed as she casually placed down all the coffee she had grabbed for everyone. Luckily, no one noticed her, too caught up in the argument. 

Chaewon finished passing out the coffee, and, as subtly as she could, she moved towards the corner of the room. If she wasn’t bothering anyone, she reasoned, what could be the harm in staying for a bit to listen in. She might even learn something. 

“There’s no way we’d be able to neutralize her!” one of the scientists was insisting, waving his hands furiously. “It took us nearly three years to even  _ find  _ her, we can’t throw all of that away by exposing ourselves too soon.” 

“Well, the bounty hunter was supposed to solve that problem for us,” one of the people from the profits department responded. He was dressed in a slick black suit, same as all the others from profits. “Clearly, he wasn’t as adept as we thought, even with the abilities we gave him.” 

Chaewon furrowed her brows.  _ Bounty hunter?  _ Call her crazy, but that didn’t sound like science. 

“Gentlemen, the real issue is what happens when we actually detain her,” a scientist brought up. “Even if we could get her back, is there any real way we’d be able to keep her from escaping?” 

“Yeah, we’ve already discussed this,” the other replied. “We’ll use the collar. It will keep her from accessing her powers, then we can run our tests safely.” 

The men murmured. “Won’t that hurt her?” one of them commented, clearly unsure at this line of thinking. 

“Yes,” the scientist replied. “But it’s a necessary evil. Right now, it's the only thing we have that will effectively contain her.” 

Chaewon shuddered. Whatever these men were talking about, it wasn’t good. She had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with a certain neighborhood vigilante, and suddenly, Chaewon wasn’t so grateful to have a job here. 

“Is this really ethical?” one of the men asked, raising his hand. “I mean, it’s not like it’s her fault she was affected by the rock. Can we really hurt this girl just because she happened to be chosen? Because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

The men became silent, murmuring to each other. Finally, after a few moments, one of the scientists stood. “Regardless of her blame, she was chosen,” he said, his voice grave. “Jeon Heejin is our one lead in finding out what type of material that rock was made of, and we can’t let our own human weaknesses get in the way of discovery. Besides, the last of the material was used to give that imbecile of a bounty hunter the limited powers he has.” 

The men nodded, clearly satisfied with the answer. Yet, Chaewon couldn’t shake the feeling that this was wrong. Whoever this girl was, whatever she had done, she didn’t deserve whatever they were planning. And based on how gravely they discussed their plans, it didn’t look too bright for her. 

“Now, back to the matter at hand,” the standing man continued. “How do we even get her back here? She’s basically untouchable with those abilities of hers.” 

Just as someone was opening their mouth to respond, the sound of the door slamming shut drew everyone’s attention. Standing just beyond the door frame, a tall, burly man was giving everyone a smile. Chaewon shuddered at the sight. 

Right.  _ Bounty hunter.  _

“Wrong,” the man said, approaching the table. “Little Heejin is not untouchable.” 

The men at the table were silent as the bounty hunter took a seat at the end of the long meeting table. 

After a few tense moments, one of the scientists gathered the courage to speak up. “How do you propose we get her back here, then?” he asked, his voice remaining surprisingly firm under the heated gaze of the burly man. “Last time, she nearly killed you, even after you had critically injured her.” 

Chaewon gulped as the bounty hunter laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the room. “Oh, that?” he asked, unsheathing his knife again and resting it casually in his right hand. “That was just a test. I wanted to see if she could actually be a real challenge.” 

“And now?” a scientist asked. “What should we do?” 

The bounty hunter smirked, running a finger down the blade of the hunting knife. “If you want to get a person to come to you,” he said, looking up and gazing around the room. Chaewon fought to control her racing heart as his eyes seemed to lock onto hers. “You go for the people they care the most about.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos are appreciated, and comments are always welcome! (they give me motivation)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin struggles to save her friend, and Chaewon makes a decision

Heejin tore through the streets. She had never teleported this fast before, but she ignored the dull pain in her back as she continued. She was  _ not  _ going to let Jiwoo die. 

She was getting closer to Jiwoo’s apartments, just a few more blocks and she would be there. She could see the large smoke plume blossoming from the top of Jiwoo’s apartment building. Even in the dark sky, the black cloud was still clearly visible, and Heejin was beginning to smell the smoke as she got closer and closer. 

She grunted as she fell roughly to the ground, her teleports becoming more and more scattered and inaccurate as she pushed herself. She stumbled up, ignoring the scrapes on her knees and throwing herself even faster towards the burning building. 

_ C’mon, c’mon,  _ she internally begged, recklessly flinging herself through the air and trusting her powers to catch her.  _ Faster.  _

Finally, she had reached the font of the building, where a crowd was forming and looking up in awe at the roaring flames coming from the building. 

Heejin didn’t waste any time looking, simply hurling herself up the side, teleporting from fire escape to fire escape. Unfortunately, Jiwoo’s apartment was at the very top, and Heejin grunted with each teleport. Her back was on fire, now, but Heejin grit her teeth and pushed through it. 

She finally reached Jiwoo’s window after what felt like ages. She groaned as she noticed the huge piece of rubble blocking the entrance. That must have been what was keeping them trapped inside, Heejin reasoned. 

She didn’t dwell on it long, teleporting inside the room. 

Instantly, the heat was overwhelming, and Heejin nearly collapsed as the pain in her back and the overpowering smoke and heat hit her at the same time. 

Still, she continued on, her thoughts focused only on Jiwoo. “Jiwoo!” she screamed, her voice hoarse. “Jiwoo, where are you!” 

Heejin stumbled forward, barely keeping herself upright at this point. Then, she heard the sound of a scream. She sprinted in the direction of the sound, barely dodging the roaring flames that had almost consumed the entire room at this point. 

She reached Jiwoo’s bedroom door, not even hesitating before throwing herself against it and forcing it open. The heat was noticeably less intense in here, the flames having not yet reached this area. 

Jiwoo and her roommate looked up at her in shock. Heejin noticed the fear on the faces and the way they were both huddled back against the corner of the room. 

“Heejin!” Jiwoo croaked, standing and immediately wrapping the girl in a hug. 

Heejin quickly returned it, breathing in the girl’s familiar scent. Jiwoo was alive. She was alive. Heejin could breathe again. 

A crash from outside brought them quickly back to reality. Heejin quickly pulled away, glancing over at the roommate. She was pretty sure the girl’s name was Sooyoung or something. 

Jiwoo waved towards her. “Get her out then come back for me,” she insisted. 

Heejin was about to argue, but she knew there was no time. She ran over to Sooyoung, grabbing her hand and pulling her off the ground. She met the girl’s eyes with a serious look, squeezing her hand tight. “Hold on tight, okay?” she told her. 

Sooyoung gave her a confused look. “What do you mean-” 

Before she could say anymore, Heejin had teleported them from the room out onto the fire escape. She spared a glance down, noticing that all the fire escapes seemed intact below her. Sooyoung gasped, almost falling over had it not been for Heejin’s hand keeping her steady. 

“You should be able to get down this way,” Heejin told her, already pushing the girl towards the stairs. “Go fast, and don’t look back” 

Sooyoung didn’t hesitate before running down the stairs, recklessly throwing herself down each flight in an attempt to make it to the ground. 

Heejin turned back to the apartment, taking a step forward before nearly crumbling to the ground. She grit her teeth, forcing herself to stand. 

She ignored the piercing pain radiating from her back, instead focusing on that familiar tingling between the shoulder blades. Before she knew it, she was back in Jiwoo’s room, falling against the carpeted floor with a cry of pain. 

Jiwoo immediately knelt next to her, grabbing her hand and giving her a worried look. 

Heejin shook her off and forced herself to stand, nearly dead on her feet at this point. “C’mon,” Heejin said, about to teleport them to the fire escape once again. However, the distinct sound of metal crashing and falling echoed through the apartment, and Heejin knew that the fire escape outside Jiwoo’s window was no longer an option. 

She hoped Sooyoung made it down in time, at least. 

Heejin glanced around the room desperately, searching for another way out. There was a window above Jiwoo’s desk, but they were about 8 or 9 stories up, and Heejin knew she wouldn’t be able to teleport them safely to the ground, especially in her condition.

However, at this point, she didn’t see another option. 

Jiwoo noticed her looking out the window, and her eyes widened as she realized Heejin’s thought process. “Heejin,  _ no, _ ” she said, backing up a little. 

Heejin peered behind her friend. The flames were getting closer, and it was getting noticeably harder to breath because of the smoke. There was no way the firefighters would reach them in time. 

“I’m sorry, Jiwoo,” Heejin breathed, barely loud enough for the girl to hear. 

“No, Heejin!” yelled Jiwoo as Heejin reached out and wrapped her hand around Jiwoo’s wrist. “You’ll get hurt-” 

But her words caught in her throat as she found herself falling through the air. Heejin quickly positioned herself under Jiwoo, wrapping her arms around the girl's midsection and pulling her closer so that Heejin would take the brunt of the impact. 

The wind roared in her ears, and Jiwoo barely had time to scream before they had collided with the ground and everything went black. 

  
  


When Jiwoo woke up, she was lying on a stretcher, towards the side of the crowd. The firefighters were busy spraying water at the building, trying to smother the flames. The paramedics were making sure the other tenants were okay and that everyone had made it out of the building. 

_ Heejin,  _ was her first thought. Her second was cursing how much her head hurt. She forced herself to sit up, eyes widening as she noticed how much the fire had grown. The flames were roaring around the building, and the entire top half of the apartments were almost completely aflame at this point.

She gulped. Her apartment must be destroyed by now. And she was beginning to realize that she was lucky to be breathing as she looked up at the scene.

She glanced around, wincing as the motion caused the pain in her head to increase. Her arm was killing her, and, peering down, she noticed the large gash that covered nearly half of her forearm. Jiwoo swallowed, immediately looking away. She had never been great with blood, and seeing such a large scratch on her own arm was rather daunting. 

_ What happened?  _ She struggled to remember. She recalled Heejin and her trying to find a way out, only for Heejin to make a stupid heroic decision. She remembered falling through the air, too high up to have a chance of landing safely. 

_ Where is Heejin? _

Jiwoo looked around the crowded scene once again, her eyes scanning the area for her friend. There was no way she didn’t get really injured in the fall. Or worse. 

But Jiwoo shook those thoughts away just as a paramedic came rushing over to her, his eyes alarmed as he noticed how the girl was sitting up. 

“Excuse me, ma’am,” the paramedic said, holding out his hands. “You really shouldn’t be sitting up. I’m afraid you received a rather serious concussion from your fall.” 

Jiwoo blinked slowly, struggling to process this information. 

“Ma’am, please, if you could just lie back?” the paramedic pleaded, his tone becoming worried. 

She listened this time, slowly leaning back until her head had fallen back onto the cushion of the stretcher. 

“Okay, thank you,” the man said. “We’ll be taking you to the hospital shortly so you can get your head checked out, we just need to make sure that everyone is safe and secure right now-” 

“Where’s my friend?” Jiwoo interrupted. Everything was a little fuzzy, she noticed. Even her own voice sounded far away. 

“What friend?” The paramedic seemed confused. 

“Heejin,” Jiwoo replied, as if the answer was obvious. “She was with me when I fell. Is she okay?” 

There was a moment of silence, and Jiwoo almost sat back up to look at the man. However, before she could, his uncertain voice interrupted her. 

“I’m sorry, m’am, there was no one beside you when we found you,” he said slowly. “Are you sure that-” 

“Yes!” Jiwoo cried immediately. “Heejin was there, she saved me from the fire,  _ where is she? _ ” 

The man was speaking, but Jiwoo couldn’t hear anything anymore. Her head was pounding, her ears ringing.  _ Where was Heejin? Why wasn’t she with her?  _

_ Was she breathing? _

Her mind was racing, and it only made her head hurt even more. The paramedic was leaning over her, now, she noticed, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. He looked alarmed. 

Jiwoo blinked a couple times as her vision became more and more blurry. 

And then, right as she felt a pair of firm hands shaking her shoulders, she slipped back into unconsciousness. 

Hyunjin was heavily panting by the time she made it to the scene of the fire, her eyes wide as she gazed up at the roaring flames coming from the top of the building. 

Her heart was racing, and it wasn’t just because she had run the whole way here. Where was Heejin? Did Jiwoo make it out? 

Were her friends okay?

She stumbled through the growing crowd, shoving random people out of her way as she desperately scanned the area for any sign of Heejin or Jiwoo. 

Finally, her eyes landed on a familiar face lying on a stretcher. Her eyes widened as she saw the small group of paramedics milling around her, and Hyunjin couldn’t help the bolt of fear that ran through her as her eyes landed on Jiwoo’s pale face. 

She was covered in soot, and a small streak of blood was creeping down the side of her face, seemingly originating from somewhere on her head. And, even more alarming, her eyes were currently rolled back, and she seemed unresponsive. 

As Hyunjin rushed over towards her friend, she noticed a woman also pushing her way through the crowd. She had short brown hair and a defined jawline, and she seemed absolutely terrified as her eyes landed on Jiwoo. 

“Jiwoo!” she called, and Hyunjin watched as the woman sprinted towards her, only to be held back by a pair of paramedics. 

“Please, m’am, if you could just calm down,” one of them was saying. 

“We’re going to take her to the hospital, and we’ll make sure everything is okay there. If you are really that worried, you can ride in the ambulance with us.” the other finished. 

The woman seemed to slump over at that, and she nodded, tears pricking her eyes. 

Hyunjin glanced around, searching for any sign of Heejin. Maybe she should wait? The paramedics were loading Jiwoo into the ambulance, she noticed when she looked back. Hyunjin was quickly losing her window of opportunity. 

Just as they finished piling the stretcher inside the vehicle, Hyunjin made her decision. She sprinted towards the doors of the ambulance, nearly crashing into the tall woman. “Wait!” Hyunjin said. “Can I ride as well? I’m her friend, and I heard there was a fire-” 

“Sure,” the paramedic interrupted, already pulling himself into the vehicle. “But hurry up, we need to go.” 

Hyunjin blinked. That was easier than she thought it would be. 

She pulled herself into the back, next to the woman from before. They exchanged glances and Hyunjin wondered who exactly this woman was to Jiwoo. She seemed to care greatly for the girl, and the way she fiddled anxiously with her hands and the way she looked over at Jiwoo with genuine concern communicated a relationship a bit more than friendly.

But Hyunjin wasn’t one to talk. She was an anxious mess, watching the paramedic hover over Jiwoo. He had hooked her up to an IV, and he seemed to be examining the wound on the back of her head. 

“So, how do you know Jiwoo?” the woman next to her asked suddenly, and Hyunjin whipped her head around, not expecting her to speak. 

Hyunjin swallowed, trying to collect herself. “Um, I go to the gym with her and Heejin.” she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. “We’ve become really close over the past few months.” 

The woman nodded, looking back towards the floor of the ambulance. The siren was loud and piercing, and it did nothing to help Hyunjin’s growing anxiety. 

“How do you know her?” Hyunjin asked, probably waiting entirely too long to ask the question. 

The woman kept her gaze fixed on the ground, unfazed. “We’re roommates,” the woman replied. “I wasn’t sure she made it out after I did.” 

Hyunjin swallowed as she noticed the devastated look in the woman’s eyes as she looked over at Jiwoo. “My name’s Hyunjin,” she decided on saying after a moment. 

The woman tilted her head so that she was looking at Hyunjin. She offered a small smile. “I’m Sooyoung.” 

  
  


When Jiwoo woke up again, she was in a hospital bed, listening to the distinct sound of a heart monitor. She blinked a few times, struggling to keep her eyes open because of how harsh the light in the room was. 

Her mouth was incredibly dry, and felt as though she had been hit by a truck. She turned her head, wincing as the slight stab of pain the movement produced. 

The gash on her arm had been stitched up, wrapped in gauze and bandaged. She noticed the IV sticking out of her arm and followed the line to the stand at the side of her bed. 

Her eyes widened when she noticed the figure sitting uncomfortably in the chair beside her bed. Jiwoo smiled a bit when she saw that Sooyoung was fast asleep, her soft snores sounding through the quiet room. Cute. 

She glanced around the room again, trying to figure out what had happened. She remembered the fall, and the conversation she had with the paramedic, but then she drew up a blank. Jiwoo sighed, wondering how long she had been unconscious. 

More importantly, where was Heejin? 

As if on cue, Hyunjin came strolling through the door, looking a little worse for wear and holding two cups of coffee. When her eyes met Jiwoo, her face lit up, and she almost dropped the drinks she had been carrying. 

“Jiwoo!” she couldn’t help but exclaim, running over to the bed. They embraced after Hyunjin had put the cups down, and Jiwoo smiled as she breathed in Hyunjin’s familiar scent. They pulled back, and Jiwoo’s smile quickly faded when she noticed the paleness of Hyunjin’s face and the heavy bags under her eyes. 

Hyunjin’s smile wavered as well as she looked back, realizing how bad she must look right now. She hadn’t slept in nearly two days, switching between waiting for Jiwoo to wake up and questioning the doctors and paramedics about Heejin. 

Jiwoo seemed to read her mind. “Heejin?” she asked quietly, her brows furrowed in concern. 

Hyunjin’s eyes darkened. She shook her head gravely. “No one knows where she is, Jiwoo,” she replied, trying to keep her voice from wavering. “It’s like she just vanished.” 

Jiwoo’s heart dropped, and she stared into her lap. “No,” she said. “That’s not possible.” 

Hyunjin sighed, pointedly ignoring the burning pain in the back of her throat. “I don’t want to accept it either, Jiwoo, but there’s a possibility she didn’t make it out-” 

“ _ No,”  _ Jiwoo interrupted, an edge to her voice that wasn’t there before. “She’s not dead.” 

There was a moment of silence. Hyunjin frowned, narrowing her eyes. “What makes you so certain?” 

Jiwoo looked up at her, her eyes determined. “She saved me, Hyunjin,” she said. “We got out of the apartment, and Heejin was  _ with me.  _ I know it.” 

Hyunjin swallowed, not wanting to get her hopes up too soon. “Are you sure, Jiwoo?” she asked carefully. “The doctors said you could have suffered from smoke inhalation-” 

“I’m sure.” she replied, conviction clear in her voice. “There’s no way I would have made it out of there without her.” 

There was a tense silence as both of them looked at each other.

Hyunjin stared into Jiwoo’s eyes, fear creeping through her as she realized what this meant. “So, if Heejin’s alive, and she was really injured,” Hyunjin said. “That means-” 

“She was vulnerable,” Jiwoo finished. “Someone could have easily taken her.” 

“Are you sure we’re not jumping to conclusions here?” Hyunjin asked. “I mean, Heejin could have teleported away after you guys got out. Or maybe she stayed behind to make sure everyone was safe and then left.” 

The words left a bitter taste in Hyunjin’s mouth. There was no way either of those happened, and she knew it. She just didn’t want to believe the worst had happened. 

Jiwoo gave her a look, as if pleading with her. “Hyunjin, you didn’t see her,” she pushed. “She barely got us out of the building in one piece. There’s no way she would have been able to teleport after that.  _ And _ she took the brunt of the fall. It’d be a miracle if she wasn’t seriously injured.” 

Hyunjin swallowed. “Okay,” she whispered. “What are we supposed to do, then?” 

Jiwoo looked down. 

“If someone did take her, who was it?” Hyunjin asked. “Where did they take her? Why? How do we get her back?” 

Jiwoo shook her head, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. 

“Jiwoo,” Hyunjin said quietly. Jiwoo looked up at her with glossy eyes. “How do we even know she’s alive?” 

The silence in the room was oppressive. Hyunjin slumped over, collapsing into the chair beside Jiwoo’s bed with her head in her hands. 

“We don’t,” came a sudden voice from the other side of the bed. Jiwoo and Hyunjin whipped their heads around with wide eyes. 

Sooyoung offered them a rueful smile. “But I know where to start.” 

  
  


Everything hurt. 

She could feel hands dragging her across the ground, feel the way they picked her up and set her down somewhere. A car, she only realized later on. A trunk, more specifically. 

She groaned, trying to focus. The trunk slammed shut and she was draped in darkness. Blinking, she attempted to regain her bearings. Her back was killing her, racking her with fits of blinding pain every few minutes. She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to lift her arms. Ignoring the piercing pain in her shoulder, she pushed against the door with as much strength as she could muster. 

It wasn’t much. 

She couldn’t help but cry out in pain as her strength failed her and her arms dropped to her sides once again. She was out of energy. Stuck. 

Darkness was creeping in the corner of her vision, and she could feel herself becoming progressively dizzier and drowsier. 

She blinked slowly, struggling to stay conscious. She hoped Jiwoo and Hyunjin were okay. She hoped they didn’t worry too much. 

(She hoped they would find her.)

Her vision was failing, and the pain was getting stronger. 

At some point she couldn’t handle it any longer, and she finally lost consciousness, her eyes rolling back and her head falling limp against the floor of the trunk.

A few minutes later, the bounty hunter opened the trunk, light flooding the cramped area and illuminating Heejin’s limp form. 

The bounty hunter laughed to himself, allowing a self-satisfied smirk to overtake his face before he leaned forward and easily lifted the girl from the car. 

She was in rough condition, he noticed as he carried her through the back entrance of the lab. Pale, and bleeding all over. It was a miracle she was even alive at this point, he chuckled. 

He wondered whether the scientists would be angry at her injuries. He shrugged. 

Wasn’t his business. 

The bounty hunter entered the lab, unceremoniously presenting the girl to the surprised scientists. They were expecting him, but they hadn’t expected how injured the girl would be. She looked near-dead. 

“Did you kill her?” one of them asked, rushing over. 

The bounty hunter rolled his eyes, setting Heejin down on the metal table they had set out beforehand. “No,” he said. “Just made her more willing to cooperate.” 

The scientist gave him a horrified look as he took in the extent of the girl’s injuries. 

“Relax,” the bounty hunter said, waving his hand. “I didn’t even really do anything to her. She did it to herself when she saved her little friend.” 

The scientist blinked a few times before sighing and turning back to the table. He pointed at his coworkers, giving various instructions to treat her injuries. As for himself, he approached a side table he had set up earlier, grabbing the circular device resting on top. 

Before he could think about it too much, he had approached the motionless form on the girl and fixed the device around her neck. 

He swallowed. 

This was for the best, he told himself. 

It was for science. 

While everyone worked, fussing over the girl’s injuries and making sure she was stable, they were unaware of a pair of wide eyes watching from the corner of the room. 

Park Chaewon reached a hand up and covered her mouth in shock. She had seen the condition of the girl on the table. Jeon Heejin, she knew. 

It was then that she made a decision. 

She didn’t care about this stupid lab, or some notion that this was being done in the name of science. 

She was going to get Heejin out of this place. No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for your comments and kudos, they really give me motivation :)
> 
> ty for reading


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin, Sooyoung, and Jiwoo discuss their plan, and Heejin is having a bad week.

Jiwoo was discharged from the hospital a few days later.

As soon as possible, all three of them were meeting up at Hyunjin’s place, since Jiwoo’s and Sooyoung’s wasn’t exactly an option any longer.

Sooyoung brought some coffee for all of them, and Hyunjin didn’t waste any time before grabbing some bread bites and setting them out to share between the three of them. 

There was a tense silence as everyone sat around the table. Jiwoo’s forearm was still wrapped up, bandages effectively covering the wound they all knew lay under the wrappings.

“So, what’s your plan?” Hyunjin asked blunty, breaking the silence. 

Sooyoung took a bite out of the bread, unfazed by Hyunjin’s skeptical expression. "So your friend is clearly Orbit," she said. Both Hyunjin and Jiwoo nodded, not even bothering to deny it. “I think the fire was planned.” 

Jiwoo and Hyunjin exchanged looks. Clearly the thought had already crossed their minds. “What makes you say that?” Hyunjin questioned. 

“There’s no way a fire is able to spread that fast without anyone noticing.” Sooyoung said. “One top of that, the fire originated from  _ our  _ floor. And I know for a fact that no one on our floor is stupid enough to start a fire on accident without realizing it.” 

Jiwoo chewed her lip, thinking. “But why would anyone do that?” she asked. “I mean, I get it might have been to draw Heejin out, but how would anyone know that Orbit is close to me?” 

Hyunjin stiffened as a thought crossed her mind. “The man,” she said, eyes widening. 

“What?” asked Sooyoung. 

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before,” Hyunjin exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands. “The man outside my apartment who attacked Heejin a couple months ago!” 

Jiwoo nodded in understanding, letting out a soft “Oooooh.”

Sooyoung furrowed her brows. “Would anyone like to share with the class?” 

Hyunjin shook her head, as if remembering Sooyoung was there. “Yeah, sorry,” she said, munching on a piece of bread as she explained. “A while ago, a man attacked Heejin outside my place while she was walking home. She said the guy knew her name, and knew she was Orbit, somehow. He nearly killed her, but she was able to get away and get to my apartment in time.” 

Sooyoung nodded. “So, clearly this guy is involved.” 

“Definitely,” Jiwoo agreed. “If he knew Heejin’s name and identity, he could have easily found me because I’m close to her. And he was also probably following her for a while, so he knew her schedule enough to know that she would be at the gym the night of the fire.” 

“Which means that he could have set the fire to lure Heejin out and make her vulnerable, knowing that she would have to teleport the entire way there to get Jiwoo out in time.” Hyunjin finished gravely. 

Suddenly the bread didn’t seem as tasty as it did before. 

“This brings us to the next question,” Jiwoo brought up, the frown on her face a far cry from the normally sunny smile she wore around campus. “Who the hell even is this guy? And what does he want with Heejin?” 

Sooyoung and Hyunjin stayed silent. They were all stumped on that front. 

Hyunjin groaned, smacking her head on the table with a loud bang. 

Sooyoung and Jiwoo jumped, startled by how aggressive the action was. Hyunjin lay facedown on the table, almost motionless. 

“Hyunjin…?” Jiwoo hesitantly asked, reaching out a hand. 

Hyunjin suddenly sat up as if nothing had happened. “Where are you guys staying right now?” 

“Um?” Sooyoung asked, still very confused. 

Hyunjin waved her off. “Sorry, I’m fine,” she said. “I just do that when I’m stressed. Picked it up from my buddy Jinsoul. She used to do it a lot when we studied together.”

"Right,” Sooyoung replied, still uncertain.

“So where are you guys staying?” Hyunjin asked again. 

Sooyoung shrugged and Jiwoo frowned. “We’re looking for a new place right now,” Sooyoung said. “In the meantime, I’ve been staying at one of the dorm buildings the school offered for the people displaced from the fire.” 

“Same here,” Jiwoo said. “Different dorms, though.”

Hyunjin frowned. She knew firsthand how bad those dorms were, which is why she moved out the first chance she got. Don’t get her wrong, her current apartment was pretty shitty, but the rent was cheap enough that she didn’t have to get a roommate, and the building was slightly better than the dorms. “Do you guys want to stay here while you look for a place?” she asked. “I know those buildings suck.” 

Sooyoung’s eyes widened, and Jiwoo grinned. 

“No!”

“Yes!” 

Hyunjin raised an eyebrow as both of the girls glared at each other. 

Sooyoung sighed. “I just meant that we shouldn’t intrude,” she explained. “You already have a lot on your plate, and having people stay at your place is probably-” 

“Not a big deal?” Hyunjin finished with a smile. “As long as you guys are relatively clean and nice, you’re welcome to stay.” 

“Oh my god, thank you Hyunjin!” Jiwoo said, leaning over and engulfing the girl in a tight hug. 

Sooyoung smiled at her, offering a quiet, but genuine, thank you as well.

“Oh!” Hyunjin said suddenly, and Jiwoo pulled back, her brows furrowed. “I just had a great idea!” 

“What?”

“Jinsoul is a forensics major,” Hyunjin said, already taking out her phone. “I know it’s a stretch, but if we can get to the scene of the fire, maybe we can find out what exactly happened.” 

Jiwoo perked up, while Sooyoung still looked a little skeptical. “But wouldn’t all evidence of the guy be destroyed in the fire? I don’t know if she’ll be able to find anything significant.” 

Jiwoo shook her head. “The building might be a lost cause, but the alley next to it isn’t!” she exclaimed. 

Hyunjin aggressively nodded, still rapidly scrolling through her phone. 

“Is that where you fell with Heejin?” Sooyoung asked. 

Jiwoo nodded. “She was in that alley with me at some point, and she was gone by the time the paramedics showed up,” she said, grabbing another piece of bread as she spoke. “If there’s anywhere to look, it’s there.” 

Before Sooyoung could respond, Hyunjin was letting out a small cheer. “Okay, I just texted Jinsoul, we probably won’t have long to wait.”

“What did you tell her?” Jiwoo asked incredulously. 

“Just that we would be trespassing at the scene of a recent fire and we needed her help to find out what happened since we think it could have possibly been arson and that our friend may have been kidnapped.” 

Jiwoo and Sooyoung looked at her like she had grown two heads. 

Sooyoung opened her mouth to say something, and then apparently thought better, abruptly closing it.

Jiwoo also went to say something, but she was interrupted by the ding of Hyunjin’s cell phone. 

They waited in anticipation as Hyunjin glanced down at the screen. She swiped the screen a couple times and then smiled. Looking up and noticing Jiwoo and Sooyoung’s expectant faces, she rolled her eyes and held up her phone for them to see. 

There, right under Hyunjin's question concerning arson and possible kidnapping, was Jinsoul’s short response. 

_ sure lol _

Sooyoung blinked, and Jiwoo let out a disbelieving scoff.

“She’s typing,” Sooyoung said, collapsing back into her chair, still shocked and slightly impressed at Jinsoul’s response. 

Hyunjin turned the phone back around to face her. Another ding pierced the air as Jinsoul sent another text. 

“She asked if she could bring her friend Hyejoo,” Hyunjin said, not looking up from the screen. “Is that cool?” 

Sooyoung scoffed, throwing her arms into the air. “Sure,” she said. “Why not.” 

Jiwoo sighed and shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.” 

“Cool,” Hyunjin responded, already typing. 

Jiwoo and Sooyoung exchanged a look. 

Looks like their team was going to get a little bigger.

  
  


Heejin was having a bad day. 

Scratch that, she was having a bad week. 

She had been at the lab for about five days, by her count (though she knew it might have been longer, considering she was unconscious for a bit), and she wasn’t really a fan. 

For one, the scientists forced her to undergo tests for hours at a time, testing her endurance and physical strength. Now, this wouldn’t necessarily be terrible, but when Heejin was forced to exercise and run and lift weights until she was physically and mentally exhausted, it was less than ideal. On top of that, she was still recovering from her (serious) injuries, so it was all rather painful. Her shoulder was fractured and she had received a pretty bad concussion along with various gashes and bruises sprinkled everywhere, but the scientists forced her to continue. They said mildly straining her injuries would further develop her ‘healing ability.’ Heejin was still calling bullshit on that one. If she had any healing powers, it sure wasn’t doing anything to help her right now. The doctors had actually done wonders in fixing her more serious wounds, she had to admit, but she still felt like shit most of the time.

Additionally, the collar they had locked around her neck wasn’t doing her any favors. Not only did it provide a consistent ache in her neck and back, it also seemed to block her teleportation from working at all. She could barely function at this point, unable to access any of the power that had been available to her before. It left her feeling dazed and unbalanced.

The scientists insisted that she still had access to her strength and agility, that that part of her had become ingrained in her body. But Heejin didn’t really feel particularly strong right now, nor agile.

She felt weak. 

There was a constant weight pressing against the shoulders, a consistent ache that had plagued her since the moment she had woken up with the collar. The device severed her connection to her powers, and it felt as if a part of her had been ripped away, stolen from her while she was vulnerable and unaware. 

Regardless, the scientists forced her to continue with those infernal tests. On some days they would test her endurance and have her run until she couldn’t go any longer. Other days, they would have her fight with multiple enemies at a time, for hours at a time, just to see how long she could last and how she might take advantage of her increased strength. 

She had to assume they weren’t getting very accurate results, considering she was exhausted, in pain, and actively battling the urge to fall unconscious almost constantly at this point.

On the worst day yet, the scientists gave her some unknown drug, stabbing a syringe into her neck while somebody held her down. They told her it would be to test her awareness while under the influence of a foreign substance, considering she usually had heightened awareness under regular circumstances.

Heejin was left disoriented and stumbling as they left the room. For hours, she was plagued with terrifying hallucinations, visions of her father, visions of Hyunjin, all twisted and wrong. By the time the second hour passed, she was curled into a ball with her head between her knees, violently trembling and praying for the nightmare to end.

So yeah, Heejin wasn’t having a great time.

The only highlight was the girl who brought her food every day. She was petite, with a pale face and big eyes. Her hair was blonde, so light it was nearly grey. The girl refused to tell Heejin her name, but she always offered her a sympathetic smile and a few kind words when she dropped off the food. 

Food became the only thing she looked forward to at this point, even if they never gave her enough to regain any real energy. She thought about mentioning the fact that she needed more food than the average person, but she doubted they would listen. She had a sneaking suspicion they already knew, and that these small portions were intentional.

She spent much of her time locked in her small cell. They would take her out every so often for a few hours to test, but otherwise, she was kept here. 

As far as she could tell, there was no conceivable way out of this place. All the doors and exits were guarded by at least two guards, and there were cameras everywhere. On top of that, Heejin was never alone, always escorted by a small troop of guards that were armed to the brim with weapons and armor. 

As if she stood a chance in her current condition, anyway. 

Her cell was dark and tiny, but Heejin preferred it over the clinical bleakness of the rest of the lab. It even had a small bathroom attached to the side, which Heejin was thankful for. The clothes they had given her did little to protect her from the cold of the cell, though, only a t-shirt and a pair of black sweats that were slightly too big for her. 

On the third day, the nice girl had delivered her food and noticed Heejin huddled in the corner, shivering and gritting her teeth against the cold. She had frowned, setting down Heejin’s food and immediately heading off towards some unknown destination. 

A few moments later, the blonde had returned with a large patterned blanket, wasting no time before entering Heejin’s cell and draping it over the trembling girl. 

Maybe if Heejin was smart, she would have struck, would have taken the girl hostage and used her as a means to escape. But she didn’t. She was cold, tired, stuck, and this girl was showing her kindness. Sue her for not wanting to threaten to kill her. 

While it wasn’t much, the blanket did a lot for making the cell a bit more comfortable. At least she wasn’t shivering at night when she was trying to sleep. 

Sleep didn’t come easily either. While she was exhausted, it was the type of tiredness where your mind is still awake but your body is unable to keep up. She would lay awake for hours, thinking about Hyunjin, Jiwoo, and what they might be doing. 

She wondered whether they were even looking for her. 

Heejin cursed herself internally. Even if they were, what were they gonna do? Take down an entire lab full of armed guards and possibly insane scientists? She shook her head. It was better that they stay far, far away from here. 

(And yet, at the same time, Heejin desperately wanted them to find her. To take her away from this place.)

She hated the fact that she couldn’t get out of this herself. She really had tried, had thought about every possible option, all potential means for escape, but there was always something in the way. There was always a precaution put in place to prevent her from getting away. The farthest she had gotten was stealing an empty syringe from one of the scientists and stabbing a guard in the neck. 

It didn't really do much, and she didn't get any food that day.

Clearly, they had planned for this for a while. 

It scared Heejin, if she was being honest. Sure, she was a vigilante, she put herself in danger every day, but this was different. She was alone, stuck, and out of her depth, and clearly these people were more powerful than the criminals Heejin was used to dealing with. 

Orbit was a small-time vigilante. She worked hard to keep her city safe, but the most she usually had to deal with were gangs or mob bosses. Not crazy scientist people that initiated kidnappings and experimented on people.

Scratch that, experimented on  _ her.  _

To think that she had been on these peoples’ radar for a while was rather terrifying. And to think that they had gone after Jiwoo just to get to her? It was horrible. It meant that no one close to her was really safe, that she was actively putting the people she loved in danger. 

She was starting to understand why the superheroes in comic books and movies were so serious and angsty. 

It wasn’t like it was her fault that their weird space rock had attacked her, of all people. Why were they punishing _her_ for it?

Again, she found her mind going back to Hyunjin. Heejin hoped she was doing okay, that she was getting rest and not worrying too much. 

Heejin blinked back the tears that were threatening to approach. She flashed back to the moment they had at the gym. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. What would have happened, she wondered, if she had taken the plunge? If she had ignored the interruptions and kissed Hyunjin anyway? She wished she had. She wished Hyunjin knew how she felt, because, at this point, it didn’t look very likely that they would see each other again anytime soon. 

She scoffed. Just add it to her list of regrets. 

Heejin released a strained sigh, leaning back against the cold wall of the cell and pulling the blanket closer. She had already done her tests today, and immediately after, the guards had thrown her back in here. She suspected she had at least a couple hours to get some rest. She grit her teeth. 

She wondered if she’d ever get out of here. 

It was looking less and less likely every day. 

  
  


They ended up meeting Jinsoul and Hyejoo a block away from the scene of the fire, at a small hole-in-the-wall cafe that Jiwoo and Sooyoung had often frequented. It was about 10 in the morning, a few hours before the lunch rush was due to hit.

Jiwoo, Sooyoung, and Hyunjin shared a plate of fries while they waited for their new companions. Hyunjin assured them that Jinsoul was consistently late, so they probably had a while to wait. 

“Do you think Jinsoul will actually be able to find anything?” Jiwoo asked, munching on a fry and frowning. 

Hyunjin sighed and shrugged, lifting a fry into her own mouth. “I dunno,” she replied honestly. “I hope so. I’m worried about Heejin.” 

Jiwoo nodded. She felt the same way. 

“Yeah,” Sooyoung agreed. “I don’t really know her, but I should definitely thank her for saving my life.” 

A silence consumed the table. The only sound that filled the cafe was the soft sound of a refrigerator running, and the occasional clink of washing dishes. 

Before any further tension could develop, the cheery sound of a bell broke the silence. A tallish woman with dark hair and bangs walked in, quickly followed by another girl with wavy black hair. 

“Hi, Hyunjin!” the first girl waved, walking over to join their table. She offered everyone a smile.

“Hey, Jinsoul,” Hyunjin said. “Hey, Hyejoo.” 

Hyejoo waved, taking the empty seat next to Jiwoo, while Jinsoul sat next to Hyunjin. 

“Soooooo,” Jinsoul said, grabbing a fry and popping it in her mouth. “What the hell’s going on?” 

Hyunjin, Jiwoo, and Sooyoung exchanged looks. 

“Um.” replied Sooyoung. 

“First of all,” Jinsoul asked, waving her hand. “What’s all this about a possible kidnapping? Isn’t this just a regular fire?” 

“Well,” Jiwoo said.

“Our friend disappeared,” Hyunjin continued for her. “She came to the building, got Sooyoung and Jiwoo out, and then disappeared without a trace.” 

Hyejoo released a hum of acknowledgement. “And why do you think she got kidnapped, of all things?” she asked, a bit skeptically. 

Hyunjin seemed to hesitate. Jiwoo and Sooyoung remained silent. 

“Guys, if you don’t tell us everything, this is going to just be a lot harder than it needs to be.” Jinsoul said, sensing their hesitation. 

Jiwoo sighed. “Fine,” she replied, “This friend of ours also happens to be Orbit.” 

Jinsoul and Hyejoo’s eyes widened. 

They five of them stared for a moment. 

“I knew it!” Hyejoo said after a moment. 

“Damn it,” Jinsoul groaned, reaching into her bag and handing Hyejoo a ten dollar bill. 

Sooyoung raised an eyebrow. “Um?” 

“Sorry to ruin your dramatic moment,” Hyejoo said. “But I totally knew this had something to do with Orbit. Jinsoul didn’t agree, so we made a bet.” 

Jinsoul groaned, grabbing a fry. “I can’t believe I lost to  _ you.”  _

“How could you possibly know that?” Sooyoung asked. 

Jinsoul smirked. “Hyejoo here is an Orbit super fan,” she explained. Hyejoo pointedly ignored everyone’s eyes. “She’s obsessed.” 

“I didn’t know Orbit had fans?” Jiwoo said, furrowing her brows. 

Hyunjin remained stubbornly silent. She knew all about Orbit’s fans, as she had frequently dealt with their hate comments all over her blog. 

“Believe me,” Hyejoo said. “She has plenty of fangirls.” 

“Including you!” Jinsoul teased, poking Hyejoo in the side. 

“What?” Hyejoo mumbled, crossing her arms. “I just think she’s cool, okay?” 

“And you’re a raging homosexual and Orbit is really hot.” Jinsoul laughed. 

“ _ Anyway.”  _ Hyejoo immediately said. “What would make Orbit a target? Who did this?” 

Hyunjin pushed away her sudden possessiveness at Jinsoul’s comments. It wasn’t news that Orbit had fangirls, but it now irked on Hyunjin’s nerves like it hadn’t before. Maybe it was because Hyejoo was sitting directly across from her. And she happened to be very beautiful. 

It was fine. She wasn’t jealous or anything. 

“Orbit got attacked a couple months ago,” Jiwoo said after noticing that Hyunjin wasn’t going to answer. “The guy knew exactly who she was, and he almost killed her.” 

“So you think it’s this guy who kidnapped her?” Hyejoo asked, sitting up straight when she heard that Orbit had nearly died. 

The three of them nodded. 

“That’s insane.” Jinsoul said, leaning back into her chair. 

“Yeah,” Hyunjin agreed. “But we really need your help. Orbit is our friend, and I’m really worried about her.” 

They met eyes, and Jinsoul swallowed before nodding. “Of course,” she said. “Anything I can do.” 

They finished their fries and paid, filing out of the cafe and walking down towards the burned apartment. 

Hyunjin tried to contain her shock as she took in the ruins of the once-standing building. The foundation was basically the only thing standing, the framework of the building exposed and crumbling, having been severely burned following the fire. Ash and soot covered the ground, coating it in a pale grey color. 

“Damn,” Jinsoul commented. 

Jiwoo and Sooyoung stared up at the destroyed building with a mix of dread and devastation. They had lost almost everything they owned in the fire, and they were left with the clothes on their back. 

The situation wasn’t exactly ideal. 

They crossed the street, moving towards the alley beside the building.Thankfully, much of the ash had stayed away from this area, which left it open for Jinsoul to examine. 

“I think this is where me and Hee--Orbit landed after we fell,” Jiwoo said, barely stopping herself from saying Heejin’s name. It’s not that she didn’t trust Jinsoul and Hyejoo, and Yves already knew, but she wasn’t sure Heejin would appreciate them exposing her secret identity to a bunch of people while she was gone. It was secret for a reason. 

If Jinsoul noticed the slip-up, she didn’t say anything. She simply nodded and moved into the alley. 

She reached into her bag and took out various supplies and tools that Hyunjin wasn’t familiar with. Jinsoul moved like a natural, surveying the area and placing down markers over places she apparently thought were significant. Hyunjin could only watch as Jinsoul moved around the alley, narrowed eyes scanning the ground for any hint of what might have happened. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, Jinsoul finally stopped, standing up straight and replacing some of her supplies back in her bag. 

“Did you find anything?” Jiwoo asked, almost scared to ask. 

Jinsoul sighed. “I didn’t find much, if I’m being honest, but there’s definitely something here.” 

She leaned down, gesturing to a small stain on the concrete. “This is where you guys landed, I think, and this is most likely either Jiwoo or Orbit’s blood.” 

“Probably Orbit,” Jiwoo supplied, cringing a bit. “She was under me when we hit.” 

Jinsoul nodded. “Well, these spots of blood are scattered around the alley,” she told them. “It could be because the impact was large enough to cause the blood to splatter on impact, but I’m more inclined to believe that it was because Orbit was moved from the spot where she fell.” 

She moved deeper into the alley, gesturing to the ground once again. “It didn’t seem like she was bleeding all that much, considering how small the bloodstains are, but they’re there. The blood is smeared, however, almost like Orbit was being dragged away.” 

Hyunjin repressed a shudder. 

Jinsoul continued, pointing towards the far exit of the alley. “My best guess is that someone managed to drag her towards the end of the alley, and then probably stash her in a car before driving away.” 

They filed through the alley towards the back of the building, a small parking lot that was almost completely empty, besides the large dumpster pushed up against the side of the building. 

“Look, there are tire tracks there,” Jinsoul said, pointing towards the faint black lines painting the concrete. “They might have been in a rush, and could have accelerated a bit too fast, causing the tires to leave marks.” 

Jinsoul turned back towards them with a sigh. “I know it doesn’t help all that much, but it’s the best I can do.” 

Hyunjin sighed. “It’s fine, Jinsoul,” she said, offering the girl a small smile. “At least we know that our theory was correct.” 

A thick silence covered the group, and they all seemed to realize just how hopeless the situation was. 

“What’re we supposed to do now?” Jiwoo asked. She looked near tears. “I was really hoping we would find something here.”

“Me too, Jiwoo,” Sooyoung said, walking over and wrapping the other girl in a warm embrace. “It’s okay, we’ll find her.” 

Hyunjin bit back her own tears that were threatening to form. She didn’t see where they were supposed to go from here. Clearly, the man had planned for this occasion, and he didn’t leave much behind to follow. 

“Wait, what’s that?” came Hyejoo’s voice from Hyunjin’s left. 

Hyunjin jerked her head up as Hyejoo made her way over to where the tire tracks were, kneeling towards the ground and picking up an object Hyunjin couldn’t see. 

However, when Hyejoo came closer, Hyunjin’s eyes widened when she saw that Hyejoo was holding a small keychain, probably fallen off of the car keys the attacker was carrying.

“Blockberry Laboratories?” Hyunjin voiced. “Why does that sound familiar?” 

Jiwoo ran over, eyes wide. “Because that’s where Orbit got her powers, Hyun!” she exclaimed. “That’s why they’re after her!” 

“Wait, Orbit got her powers at this place?” Hyejoo asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Jiwoo nodded. “Yeah, long story.” 

“Wait, I know that place,” Sooyoung said. “Someone in my calc class got an internship there. Apparently they’re super selective in who they decide to hire.” 

Jinsoul snorted. “Well, yeah,” she said. “I would think so, considering they literally just kidnapped someone.” 

“Fair.” Sooyoung acknowledged.

“Do you think we could talk to the person in your class?” Hyunjin asked. 

Sooyoung nodded. “Yeah, I’ll see if I can talk to her today in class,” she said. 

“Okay, good,” Jiwoo said, a bit of hope entering her voice. “At least we’ve got a lead.” 

“See if you can get her to meet us at the cafe after class today, Sooyoung,” Hyunjin told her. “Is everyone free around 3:00?” 

Everyone nodded. 

“Cool, then we’ll meet back then,” Jinsoul said. “In the meantime, I have class in an hour, so I have to go.” 

They exchanged goodbyes, and Hyunjin, Sooyoung, and Jiwoo began to head back to Hyunjin’s place. 

“Do you guys think Heejin is alright?” Jiwoo asked quietly once they made it back to the apartment. 

Hyunjin swallowed. It had been almost a week since she had gone missing, and Hyunjin was losing sleep every night, too consumed in her worry to actually get any rest. She plagued herself with endless thoughts of Heejin, wondering where she was, what might be happening to her, and whether or not she was even alive. 

She wondered whether Heejin would have kissed her that day at the gym, if they hadn’t been interrupted. She wondered if Heejin returned her feelings, wondered whether or not she was thinking of Hyunjin as much as Hyunjin was thinking of her. 

She wondered if Heejin was okay. 

“I hope so,” she finally said, struggling to keep her voice from cracking. 

Jiwoo looked over at her in concern. She wasn’t an idiot, she knew Hyunjin was more affected by Heejin’s absence than she let on. There were dark bags under her eyes all the time now, displaying the clear lack of rest she was getting, and Jiwoo didn’t miss the miserable look that passed over Hyunjin’s face every so often when she thought no one was looking. 

“I hope so, too, Hyun,” Jiwoo said with a sigh. 

Sooyoung gave her a reassuring smile, wrapping her arm around her shoulder and pulling her close in a comforting hug.

Jiwoo pretended not to notice the way her heart fluttered at the close contact, simply choosing to take comfort in Sooyoung’s soothing touch.

By the time 3:00 pm came, Hyunjin was a nervous wreck. 

This was basically their last chance to find Heejin, and Hyunjin needed it to work. If this girl in Sooyoung’s calc class was the way to get in that lab, so be it. At this point, Hyunjin was willing to do almost anything to help Heejin. 

She and Jiwoo arrived early at the cafe, claiming a big table in the back corner. The owner gave them a strange look as they kept anxiously glancing at the door, but he eventually shrugged off their weird behavior when Jiwoo sheepishly ordered a soda.

Eventually, Jinsoul and Hyejoo walked through the door, looking around the cafe before catching their eyes and taking a seat at the table with Jiwoo and Hyunjin.

“Do you think she’ll show?” Jinsoul asked, raising an eyebrow as everyone glanced towards the door for what felt like the hundredth time. 

“I think Sooyoung will show,” Jiwoo said confidently. “As for her classmate…” She trailed off, but her uncertainty was clear. 

Before anyone could respond, the chime of a bell sounded, and everyone whipped their heads around to the door. 

Sooyoung was walking through the door, followed closely by a small, blonde-haired girl dressed in a pastel sweater and light jeans. 

Sooyoung immediately caught their eyes as they waved the two of them over, and the girl gave all of them a wary look, as if unsure what was going on. 

Hyunjin didn’t blame her. She might also be a little startled to find five anxious-looking girls staring at you as soon as you walked into a room. 

“Hi!” Jiwoo offered, giving the girl a bright smile as Sooyoung and her joined them at the table. “Thanks for coming. I’m Jiwoo, that’s Hyunjin,” she continued around the table, introducing everyone.

The girl replied with an unsure smile. “Chaewon,” she offered. Her voice was airy and light. “What exactly is going on? Sooyoung just said that she and her friends needed to talk to me.” 

The five of them exchanged looks. After a moment, Hyunjin finally spoke up. “You work at Blockberry Laboratories, right?”

No one missed the way Chaewon immediately stiffened at the mention of the lab. She glanced around the table at everyone, narrowing her eyes. “I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I’m really not allowed to talk about anything,” 

She stood, ignoring everyone’s protests and heading for the door. Just as Hyunjin was about to follow, Hyejoo, of all people, stood up and walked over to her. 

Across the room, the two of them exchanged a few words, too low for the rest of them to hear. Chaewon seemed to hesitate, though, and she glanced back at the table unsurely. 

Finally, she sighed, following Hyejoo back to the table. Chaewon retook her seat, frowning as she did. “What do you guys want?” she bluntly asked. 

“Please, we need your help,” Jiwoo pleaded. 

“Yeah, that’s what she said,” Chaewon said, gesturing towards Hyejoo. “But what is it you need?” 

“We need a way in.” Sooyoung finally admitted. 

“What?” Chaewon asked incredulously. “What for?” 

Hyunjin sighed. “We have reason to believe that our friend is being kept there.”

They all prepared for Chaewon’s disbelief and denial, but it never came. Chaewon didn’t even look surprised. She looked unsettled. 

“You know something,” Hyejoo said, narrowing her eyes. 

Chaewon swallowed. She opened her mouth, and then closed it. 

“Tell us,” Hyunjin said, maybe a tad too forcefully. 

Chaewon pursed her lips. “Your friend,” she asked hesitantly. “She wouldn’t happen to be-” 

“Orbit?” Jiwoo finished. “Yep. That’s her.” 

Chaewon closed her eyes. “Yeah, she’s there,” she admitted. She looked ashamed to even say it.

Hyunjin felt her heart drop.  _ Heejin was there. She was alive. They were right.  _

“Then you need to get us inside!” Hyunjin immediately said. “We have to get her out!” 

Chaewon shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, I want her out as much as you guys do,” she said. “But it’s a bit more complicated than that.” 

“What’s so complicated?” Hyunjin asked, throwing her arms in the air. She was beginning to get frustrated with this girl. 

Chaewon gave her a sharp look. “It’s  _ complicated,”  _ she spat. “Because it’s a heavily fortified compound, filled to the brim with security measures and armed guards, specifically there to keep Orbit from escaping.” 

Hyunjin faltered.

The reality of the situation hit her like a slap to the face, and she couldn’t help but lean back against her seat, closing her eyes. She struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to fall, rubbing her eyes and looking down.

Chaewon sighed. “I’m sorry,” she offered. “I have no idea how to go about getting her out. I’ve been doing what I can to help, but it’s not much. There are cameras and guards everywhere, so it’s hard to do anything significant.” 

Hyunjin kept her eyes trained to the floor. 

Jiwoo frowned. “So, what do we do?” 

Everyone was silent. The dilemma was clear. Even when they had found out where Heejin was, how were they supposed to get to her? 

What could they do?

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jinsoul said, grabbing everyone’s attention. 

She gave them a small smirk, a mischievous twinkle evident in her eyes. 

“It’s time for a heist.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and support :) hope you enjoyed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin and the crew plan a heist and put it into action. Heejin is having a *really* bad couple weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angst!

They spent nearly a week and a half planning their attack, and Hyunjin could feel herself becoming more and more anxious as more time passed. Heejin had already been in that place for too long, and it hurt to think that she was leaving her there any longer than necessary. 

But, they needed time for extensive planning. 

As Chaewon had told them, the lab was filled with guards, cameras, and very little breathing room in the way of mistakes. They needed to plan out every last detail of this heist for it to work properly. 

Thankfully, Jinsoul was a near-genius when it came to scheming. Not only had she marathoned at least 6 heist movies in the past month, she was also rather knowledgeable about security and crime, considering her major. 

So, under her guidance, they planned their heist. 

Chaewon was to be their eyes and ears throughout the planning. She memorized the schedules of the guards, paid attention to where the cameras were placed, and made sure they knew where all the exits were. 

Hyejoo helped with all things technological. She was a CompSci major, and she was already into hacking as a hobby. Her role was to hack into the security system and make sure that they could get in and out without being seen on the cameras. 

Sooyoung would be in charge of their transportation. She was currently employed at a catering place, and she promised that she would be able to "borrow" a van for them to use as their getaway car. 

Jiwoo was in charge of drawing out the guards. She would provide a distraction big enough to lure away many of the guards, leaving Heejin relatively unguarded. 

Finally, Hyunjin would be in charge of getting Heejin out. Chaewon had already told her the layout of the lab, and Hyunjin had memorized where Heejin would be. She would get in, grab Heejin, and get out with hopefully little struggle. 

And Jinsoul was the mastermind, obviously. During the actual heist, though, she was going to accompany Hyunjin when she went to get Heejin. She would keep watch and make sure that there weren’t any guards. 

Tonight, they were currently hunched over Hyunjin’s kitchen table, a few empty boxes of pizza piled on the counter while they discussed the plan for what felt like the hundredth time. 

“Okay so, at 9:00 pm, Sooyoung gets off work,” Jiwoo started. 

"I’ll borrow one of the company vans and pick you guys up from Hyunjin’s place,” Sooyoung said. 

“I’ll bring my laptop and when we arrive at the building, I’ll work on hacking into the security system,” Hyejoo continued. 

“Once you put all the cameras on a loop, Hyunjin, Jinsoul, Jiwoo and I will make our way into the building,” Chaewon said, her voice as soft as ever. “I should be able to get in without getting caught by any guards.”

“We’ll bring stun guns just in case we encounter some unexpected trouble,” Jiwoo added. “I’ll make my way to the cafeteria with Chaewon, and we’ll set off a small explosion, starting a fire that the guards and personnel will be forced to deal with.” 

Jinsoul nodded. “Once we hear the explosion, Hyunjin and I will head to Orbit’s cell and get her out.”

“Remember,” Chaewon reminded. “You can unlock the cell by typing in this code,” 

She referred to the code she had written at the corner of the blueprints they had laid out over the table. 

Hyunjin nodded. “Got it,” she said. She had committed the code to memory nearly a week ago when Chaewon had first mentioned it.

“And if she’s not in the cell,” Jinsoul said. 

“Then she’ll be in the testing area, further down the hall,” Chaewon continued for her. “You might have to deal with a few scientists if she’s there, but they shouldn’t be a problem as long as there aren’t very many guards to deal with.” 

“Right,” Hyunjin nodded. “So once we get Orbit, we get back to the side exit as fast as possible. Jiwoo and Chaewon should already be waiting for us there, and we’ll hop in the van and get out.” 

“Sooyoung will drive us back to Hyunjin’s place, Hyejoo and I will make sure we aren’t being followed, and we’ll worry about any injuries or anything when we get back here.” Chaewon finished. 

Silence consumed the table as everyone took in the information. 

“We’ve got this, guys,” Jinsoul said after a moment. Her eyes focused on Jiwoo and Hyunjin. “We’ll get her out.” 

Hyunjin nodded, but her face was still downcast, as if she didn’t really believe this was going to work. 

Jiwoo reached over and rubbed her shoulder in a comforting way, and everyone leaned back, contemplating their plans. 

“You guys want to watch some Naruto?” Jinsoul asked suddenly. Perhaps she wanted to get their minds off of their nerves, or she genuinely wanted to watch Naruto. Either way, Hyunjin couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up at her comment. 

“Sure,” she said. 

Smiles began to make their way onto everyone’s faces as they all piled onto Hyunjin’s tiny couch, and, as the episode began to play, Hyunjin couldn’t help the warm feeling that bloomed in her chest. 

Despite the unfortunate circumstances that brought them together, they were together nonetheless. Together, and working towards a common goal. 

She glanced around, smiling at the way Jiwoo was curled into Sooyoung, smiling as Sooyoung mindlessly stroked her hair in a soothing way. Noticed the way Hyejoo threw nervous glances towards Chaewon every so often, silently gathering up the courage to try and hold the other girl’s hand. 

She locked eyes with Jinsoul, and they smiled at each other. Over these past two weeks, she had found friends who she trusted and who trusted her. 

Even if they were planning on breaking the law and rescuing the superhero vigilante from captivity at a shady genetics lab, Hyunjin wouldn’t want to do it with any other group of people. 

She wished Heejin were here to see it. If anyone would appreciate this, it would be her. 

Soon enough, Hyunjin promised herself. Soon enough, Heejin would be out, and they could all be together.

And then they could watch Naruto together. And maybe hold hands. That’s all Hyunjin was asking for. 

  
  


Heejin would literally sell her soul to watch some Naruto right now. 

She fell to the ground once again, knocked down by a brutal kick to the stomach. Groaning, she barely dodged the fists flying towards her face by rolling to the left just in time. 

She forced herself to her feet, wobbling dangerously as she did. 

She threw a weak punch towards the large man in front of her, one that he easily dodged. The other man, the shorter one to her left, took advantage of her distraction and landed another blow to her face. 

They had been fighting for what felt like hours. Her exhaustion weighed heavily upon her shoulders, but the men seemed to be completely unaffected by whatever she threw at them. 

She jerked back, right into the waiting arms of the other man. He threw her to the ground, and this time, Heejin was unable to dodge the heavy kick to her side. 

She gasped in pain, coughing up a wad of blood onto the floor of the testing area. 

Just as the men were about to keep going, the voice of a scientist over the loudspeaker sounded, and Heejin couldn’t help the wave of relief that ran through her as the men finally stepped back. “That’s enough, gentlemen,” sounded the soft voice of the head scientist. 

Heejin grit her teeth. His voice grated on her nerves like no other. 

She was tired, beaten, and bloody, and she could barely stand on two feet at this point. Her breaths were labored, and she pressed her face against the mat, praying that this was it, that they were done for the day.

Unfortunately, her prayers weren’t answered. More words were said over the intercom, but Heejin couldn’t hear them. Her eyes were ringing too loudly, her thoughts too scattered to pay attention at all. 

That didn’t stop the men from grabbing her arms and roughly hoisting her up from the ground, supporting her dead weight between the two of them. Heejin blinked, struggling to regain her senses and ground her feet beneath her. 

Before she could regain any bearing, a scientist was approaching her, a familiar syringe held between his fingers. 

_ No.  _

Heejin struggled against the men’s grips, kicking and screaming as she tried to get away.  _ No, no, no.  _

It was the only thing going through her head now. She couldn’t do it again. Without a doubt, the drugs they gave her were  _ awful.  _ She couldn’t do it.  _ She wouldn’t.  _

She jerked her head back as the scientist came closer, clawing at the men holding her. She cried out, a bolt of fear piercing her heart as the needle came closer and closer. 

And then, instinct took over. As soon as the man in the lab coat was close enough, she reared her head back and promptly launched it directly into the man’s nose. 

A satisfying  _ crunch  _ sounded at the impact, and the man cried out, stumbling back and clutching his now-bloody nose. Heejin didn’t even spare him a glance, still struggling against the iron grips of the men holding her. Her forehead sang with pain, and she could feel a piercing headache beginning to form, but she ignored it, too consumed in her fear of the drugs.

Her yells of anger and desperation still sounded throughout the room, and the scientist on the floor released a pained groan. 

“Enough,” the scientist said, still clutching his nose and looking rather annoyed. “I thought this would be simple, but you made it difficult.” 

Heejin paid him no mind, still desperately struggling. To her credit, the men were becoming a bit more tired, struggling to hold her between the two of them. 

The scientist jerked his head over to the corner of the room, where a metal table was pushed against the far wall. 

Heejin grit her teeth, kicking and screaming against the men as they dragged her over to the table. It had happened before, when she had been difficult, and it hadn’t been fun. 

It was no use, though. Heejin was exhausted and beaten, and even with her vehement struggles, she couldn’t escape. 

The man easily hauled her onto the table, making use of the straps locked onto the surface to tie down her hands and feet, leaving her helpless. She viciously pulled against the restraints, the straps digging painfully into the skin of her wrists and ankles. It felt a bit overkill for just one syringe, Heejin thought distantly. 

God, this was horrible. 

This time, the scientist wasted no time before approaching with the needle. He smiled at her, a cold, uncaring smile, and Heejin couldn’t help the way she trembled as the needle came closer and closer to her neck. 

She closed her eyes, biting down on the inside of her cheek to withhold a whimper. 

The needle entered her neck with a slight prick, just above the awful metal collar they had locked her in.

Heejin cringed.

The straps were undone, and the men left the room without a word. A gradual haze overcame Heejin as the drugs kicked in. 

She stumbled off the table, grunting as she landed hard on the testing area floor. 

Her heart was racing, beating impossibly fast as the drugs overtook her senses, scattering her thoughts and scrambling her brain. She hated this part. She hated all of it, really.

The testing area was becoming blurry, unfocused. 

And Heejin couldn’t help the way her mouth became dry when a dark figure appeared in front of her vision. It came closer and closer, and suddenly the silhouette was looking more and more familiar. 

As if on cue, a man came into focus, and Heejin’s heart stuttered at the sight of her very dead father now standing in front of her, looking down at her with a disappointed frown. Next to him, a blurry image of Hyunjin appeared, a sneer on her face. Then Jiwoo, her normally upbeat and caring face twisted into an angry, disgusted, frown.

They all looked down at her in hatred, and Heejin felt herself shrink at the sight. 

_ Fuck.  _

  
  


“Fuck, fuck,  _ fuck!”  _ Hyunjin muttered under her breath. She was still waiting for Jiwoo and Chaewon to set off the explosion, but she was becoming worried. It was past time for the distraction, and nothing had happened yet. 

“It’s fine, Hyun,” Jinsoul murmured. “Calm down, they’ll pull through.”

They were hunched behind a wall near the entrance, having snuck in behind Chaewon a few minutes ago. The minutes, though, were starting to feel like hours. Hyunjin’s nerves were fried. She was so close to getting Heejin back, she knew it. This plan needed to go perfectly. 

Just as Hyunjin opened her mouth to retort, a loud explosion rocked the building. 

Hyunjin stumbled, having to grip the side of the wall to stay upright. 

“A  _ small _ explosion?!” Jinsoul hissed, eyes wide with disbelief. 

Hyunjin shrugged. “Jiwoo has flair, I guess.” 

Jinsoul sighed. “Fair.” 

They waited for a few moments, listening for the guards running towards the explosion and various calls for help.

It only took around a minute and a half before Jinsoul and Hyunjin deemed it safe enough to begin making their way towards the cell. They blended in with the chaos, having worn outfits similar to that of a guard. 

They easily made it to the cell, carefully avoiding the guards and staff running past them, eyes wide with panic as they headed towards the where the explosion had originated. 

Hyunjin hoped Jiwoo and Chaewon had made it out okay. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, her breaths becoming shorter and shorter as they walked deeper and deeper into the lab. 

Finally,  _ finally,  _ the two of them made it to where the cell was, and Hyunjin cringed at the massive metal door that was meant to confine Heejin. She noticed there wasn’t a window to look inside, only a small slit at the bottom, presumably to deliver food. 

Hyunjin wasted no time before punching in the code while Jinsoul kept an eye on the hallway, making sure a guard wasn’t coming. She kept a tight grip on the stun gun strapped to her side, just in case she had to use it. 

The metal door opened with a slight creak, revealing a tiny, dark cell. An empty cell, besides the blanket draped over the concrete floor. 

Hyunjin grit her teeth, struggling to control her anger as she imagined Heejin sitting here, huddled alone in the dark. “She’s not here,” she said, her voice hard.

Jinsoul nodded, immediately motioning for them to keep moving, knowing that Heejin was likely in the testing area. 

Hyunjin released a shaky breath as they moved down the hall. She didn’t know what they’d find in the testing area, but Hyunjin had the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t be good. They had asked Chaewon about it, but she had refused to talk in depth, only saying that the tests weren’t pretty. 

They passed by a few doors that lead to different areas of the compound, ignoring them in favor of moving towards the last door at the end of the hall, where they knew they would find the testing area.

Soon, they had reached the door they were looking for. Hyunjin exchanged a nod with Jinsoul. 

As they had planned, Jinsoul would sneak into the monitoring area and take out any observing scientists, leaving the actual testing grounds open for Hyunjin to enter and grab Heejin. 

They looked at each other, silently counting down. Hyunjin bit her lip, praying that this went smoothly. Jinsoul gripped her stun gun with a white knuckle grip, hoping for the same. 

_ 1... _

_ 2... _

Hyunjin locked eyes with Jinsoul, and they both nodded. 

_ 3! _

Jinsoul burst into the monitoring area, wasting no time before firing on the first man she saw and taking him to the floor. 

Hyunjin glanced in behind her, making sure that there was no one else to deal with before hightailing it to the entrance of the testing area. 

She didn’t even look through the observation windows before throwing herself through the door and bursting into the room. 

She rapidly glanced around, eyes wide as she searched for any sign of Heejin. 

There was no one in the room, and Hyunjin began to panic. If Heejin wasn't here, _where was she?_

And then, she heard a tiny whimper from the corner of the room. 

Hyunjin’s heart stopped. 

She hesitantly walked over to the corner, noticing a long metal table pushed back against the wall, equipped with straps and a scary side table full of needles and syringes. 

And, hunched beneath the table and curled into a trembling ball, there was Heejin. 

Her muscles were pulled taut as she shook with fear, releasing small whimpers every so often, muffled because of the way her head was pressed between her knees. 

“Heejin?” Hyunjin asked, her voice shaky. 

Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn’t been this. 

Heejin showed her no reaction, simply curling into herself even more and releasing an incomprehensible string of words. 

Hyunjin’s heart broke as she looked on at the girl. It was only then that she noticed the empty syringe discarded at the edge of the table, clearly recently used. 

She looked back at Heejin, struggling to control her anger. 

_ Those assholes drugged her.  _

She swallowed. Now wasn’t the time. They needed to go, they only had so much time before the guards realized they were here. 

“Heejin,” she tried again, hesitantly reaching out. Heejin flinched at the contact of her hand on her shoulder. Hyunjin pushed onwards. “Heejin, it’s me, Hyunjin.” 

Heejin stiffened even more, if that was possible. 

“Will you look at me?” Hyunjin asked, trying to stay as calm as possible. 

It took a few seconds, but Heejin finally managed to look up. Hyunjin’s heart broke at the sight. 

Heejin’s face was flushed and swollen, and there was a clear bruise forming on her right cheek, the skin mottled with green and yellow. Tear stains further marred her face, and her eyes were red and clouded when she locked eyes with Hyunjin. Even worse, a metal collar of some sort was locked tightly around her neck. There were red marks surrounding the skin of that area, almost as though Heejin had previously tried to claw it off.

Heejin’s voice shook when she spoke, and she did so in barely a whisper. “You’re not real,” she whispered. 

Hyunjin released a breath, shaking her head. “Heejin, I’m real, I swear,” she insisted, reaching out and cupping the girl’s face. 

Heejin aggressively shook her head, shrinking back. “No, no, no,” she repeated, over and over, as if it were a lifeline. “You’re not real,” she insisted again. 

“C’mon, we have to go, Hyun,” Jinsoul’s voice echoed through the intercom, startling Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin sighed, looking back towards Heejin. The girl was a trembling mess, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth, murmuring incomprehensibly to herself over and over. 

Whatever they had given her had sure done a number her.

“C’mon, Heejin, we have to go,” Hyunjin said, trying to pull her up. 

She shook her head. “No, no, no,” she muttered. Over and over. Her voice shook with every word she spoke. 

Hyunjin looked on helplessly. She didn’t want to force Heejin, but at this point, she didn’t see another option. 

She was  _ not  _ leaving Heejin in the place. 

“Heejin, I’m sorry,” Hyunjin said, closing her eyes before reaching out and pulling the girl towards her. 

Heejin struggled a bit, as Hyunjin expected, so she held firm. 

Eventually, Heejin just curled within herself, whimpering as Hyunjin pulled her out from under the table. 

Hyunjin sighed helplessly, noticing the girl was in absolutely no condition to walk, much less run. 

She wasted no time before scooping the girl off the ground, flinching a bit as Heejin let out a scared yelp. Still, Hyunjin made her way to the door, positioning the girl safely and firmly in her grasp. 

Hyunjin ran out of the lab, Heejin held tightly in her arms, and she locked eyes with Jinsoul, who was anxiously waiting outside. 

Jinsoul spared a glance at the trembling girl in her arms, her eyes becoming distressed for only a moment before they hardened. “C’mon, Hyun, we have to go!” 

Hyunjin wasted no time before running after her, holding on tight to Heejin as they ran. Heejin herself had curled into Hyunjin’s chest, her breathing uneven and panicked. 

They reached the side exit just in time. Right as Jinsoul slammed open the door and Hyunjin ran into the parking lot, guards began yelling, scrambling to catch up with them from inside the building. 

Hyunjin didn’t look back, pushing her legs to go faster as they tore through the parking lot, right towards the van parked at the edge, it’s door open and waiting for her. 

Jinsoul hesitated only for a moment to slam the door behind her and wedge a pipe she had found on the ground into the door handle, preventing the guards from following them. That would hold them off for a little while, she knew. 

She joined everyone in the van only a few seconds after Hyunjin, and as soon as the doors closed, the van was moving, and Yves was peeling out of the parking lot. 

Hyunjin and Jinsoul collapsed onto the van floor, breathing heavily with both exhaustion and relief. 

However, instead of them, everyone’s eyes were trained on the trembling figure who had immediately migrated to the corner of the vehicle, as far from everyone as physically possible. The girl was small, and her face was covered by a mass of black hair as she shoved her face into her knees with a tiny whimper. She was dressed in a pair of tattered sweats and a bloodstained t-shirt. Even with her face covered, and even with her curled away from everyone, she was unmistakable to the occupants of the van. 

“Orbit?” came Hyejoo’s shocked and worried voice. 

She reached out a hesitant hand, but Heejin pulled back even more, if that was possible.

Chaewon looked at the floor, her eyes filled only with shame and sadness. 

Jiwoo lifted a hand to her mouth. “What-” she stuttered. “What did they do?”

Hyunjin swallowed, struggling to contain her anger. “They drugged her,” she spat. “They drugged her and left her alone. We found her before the drugs wore off.” 

Hyejoo clenched her jaw and stared at the floor of the van. She had never imagined she would ever see Orbit in the first place, much less so vulnerable and afraid. Even when she knew they were planning on rescuing her, Orbit had always been the picture of willpower and fortitude in her head. She imagined she would be confident and unafraid when they got her out. She had never imagined... _ this.  _ It left her sick to her stomach. 

“How long until the drugs wear off, do you think?” Jinsoul asked, uncharacteristically quiet. 

Chaewon swallowed. “Usually it lasts about 2-3 hours, but it seems like the worst part has already passed.” she managed. 

“The  _ worst part?”  _ Jiwoo asked, her voice cracking. “What do you mean?” 

Chaewon flinched. “She hallucinates for about the first hour and a half.” she told them. “I’ve never seen it, but I’ve seen the reports the scientists write, and I’ve seen the aftermath. Everytime I bring her food after these types of tests, she’s a mess.” She punctuated her point by gesturing towards Heejin’s quivering form.

Hyunjin bit her lip, and her hand involuntarily clenched into a fist. She looked away, not warning to see Heejin like this. The girl had always been the picture of strength in her mind. Even when she struggled, even when she was hurt, or exhausted, she pushed herself. She fought, she bled, and she suffered to keep people safe. 

She nearly passed out trying to make sure Hyunjin got home safely.

Not once had Hyunjin seen Heejin genuinely afraid. She might have seen her nervous, or paranoid, but never afraid. 

Until now. 

And it was horrible to see. 

The ride back to Hyunjin’s home was tense and silent, only further punctuated by Heejin’s occasional sniffles and everyone’s shaky breaths. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angst! 
> 
> ty for reading, comments and kudos are always welcome :) Sorry i took so long on this update, i've been kind of busy with school lately


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin meets the people who helped her escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one's pretty short, but I think it'll be okay after such a dramatic chapter :)

Heejin woke up in a warm bed, surrounded by a nice, familiar smell. She breathed in the scent, grateful to have a dream so pleasant for once. She knew she would wake up in that cold cell again soon, but right now, she was content with curling further into the warm blanket and sleeping a bit longer.

It was unusual that she would be sleeping so peacefully after having such an intense testing day. Usually after the drug trials, she was a mess for a couple hours afterwards, at  _ least.  _ Getting sleep was pretty much impossible at that point. 

Heejin wasn’t going to question it, though. 

The dream was nice, and she felt safe for the first time in a while. The scent of the covers was achingly familiar, and it left her with a warm, pleasant feeling blooming in her chest as she pressed her head further into the pillow. 

She didn’t dare open her eyes, scared that the dream would be washed away too soon, that she would be taken from this fantasy before she even got the chance to bask in the feeling of being comfortable.

However, she was ripped from her blissfully sleepy existence by the sound of a distinctly female yell. 

She sighed. It had to end at some point, right. 

Heejin peeked open an eye, fully prepared to see the familiar stony walls of the cell, only to find that she was staring directly into the eyes of another person. 

She yelped, jumping back and nearly falling over herself. 

The person in front of her also moved back, their brown eyes widening in shock, as well. Now that Heejin wasn’t inches away from them, she could make out the figure of a girl, about her age, with long, dark hair and a sharp jawline. 

“Um, hey,” the girl asked. Her voice had a distinct raspy tone to it, but it wasn't as deep as Heejin expected. “Are you okay?” 

Heejin sucked in a breath, still trying to recover from how startled she had been. She took a moment to glance around, finally realizing that she was no longer in her cell. In fact, there was a reason this place seemed so familiar to her, she realized. 

She was in Hyunjin’s bedroom. 

Heejin blinked. 

“Sorry to rush you or whatever,” the girl in front of her said, looking a little sheepish when she noticed the way Heejin’s eyes widened in shock. “I’m Hyejoo,” 

Heejin swallowed. “Uh,” she managed. “Nice to meet you, I’m-’ 

“Orbit, right?” Hyejoo said, brimming with barely contained excitement. 

Heejin’s mouth fell open in shock, and she couldn’t find it in her to form words. Who was this girl, and how did she know her identity? What the hell was going on?

“Sorry, sorry,” Hyejoo said, raising her hands. “I’m just a  _ huge  _ fan of yours,” 

“Right,” Heejin said weakly. 

“I’ve actually been wanting to meet you for a really long time, now,” Hyejoo rambled. “‘Course, I never thought it would be under these circumstances or anything, but-” 

“Hyejoo!” came a voice from down the hall, and Hyejoo whipped her head around to the door as footsteps began approaching. “You better not be bothering her, she needs rest-” 

The voice was familiar, and Heejin couldn’t help but narrow her eyes in confusion as the footsteps came closer and closer. 

Finally, the voice stopped mid sentence as she appeared in the doorframe of the room, gripping a spatula in her right hand. Her face immediately morphing into one of shock and relief when she met Heejin’s eyes. 

“Hyunjin?” Heejin whispered, wondering whether this was a dream. 

If it was, she never wanted to wake up. 

“Heejin,” Hyunjin breathed back, immediately setting down the spatula on a side table and moving towards her, as if caught in a trance.

And then Heejin was being enveloped by Hyunjin’s embrace, the warmest hug she had had in awhile. Heejin couldn’t help but hug her back, just as tightly, holding on as if she was a lifeline. 

“Is this real?” Heejin asked, her voice cracking slightly as she buried her face in the crook of Hyunjin’s neck. 

“Mhm,” murmured Hyunjin, pulling her closer. “It’s real. You’re out. We got you out.”

And then Hyunjin was pulling back, hissing quietly as a piece of cold metal brushed up against her sensitive neck. 

Right, the collar was still there.

Heejin pulled back as well, a bit confused, and then she noticed Hyunjin’s eyes lingering on her neck. Heejin sighed, having a good idea of what that meant. 

Sure enough, when she reached a hand up, her fingers brushed against the familiar metal surface of the collar that had been locked around her neck. 

“I’m sorry,” Hyunjinn murmured, reaching out and touching the metal as well. “We weren’t able to get it off last night,” 

Heejin swallowed. “It’s okay,” she said. “I can handle it a bit longer.” 

They stared at each other for a few more moments, and Hyunjin pretended not to notice the way Heejin’s eyes were rapidly becoming glossy, and Heejin likewise pretended not to notice the tears pricking the corner of Hyunjin’s own eyes.

The moment was interrupted when Hyejoo cleared her throat, grabbing both of the girls’ attention. “Sorry to interrupt,” Hyejoo said, not looking very sorry at all. She turned towards Hyunjin. “Is breakfast ready?” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes at the girl. “Yeah,” she replied. “That’s why I came back here to get you. Everyone’s waiting.” 

And then Hyejoo was out the door, already solely focused on the promised food. 

Hyunjin chuckled, turning back to Heejin, who had a confused look on her face. “Everyone?” she asked quietly. “What’s going on?” 

Hyunjin tilted her head, as if pondering the right way to answer the question. “I made some new friends while you were away,” she decided. “Would you like to meet them?” 

Heejin swallowed, trying to ignore the way her heart pounded at the thought of being scrutinized by so many people, especially with the stupid collar still locked around her neck, a perpetual reminder that she still hadn’t fully escaped the lab. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Hyunjin said, catching onto the way she warily looked towards the door frame. “I can tell everyone you’re too tired and sneak a plate of food back here.”

Heejin remained silent, contemplating her options. Hyunjin waited patiently, not wanting to rush her decision. 

“Did they help?” Heejin asked finally.

Hyunjin quirked her eyebrows, not fully understanding the question. 

“Did they help get me out of that place?” Heejin reiterated. “I don’t remember much.” 

Hyunjin released a small “ah,” nodding her head. “Yeah, they helped,” she replied. “Jiwoo and I couldn’t do it alone.” 

Heejin perked up slightly at the mention of Jiwoo. She hadn’t seen her friend in so long, and she couldn’t wait to give her a hug. 

She looked up at Hyunjin, her face determined. “Okay,” she replied. “Let’s go,” 

And with that, Hyunjin helped her to her feet, making sure she wouldn’t fall flat on her face as soon as she took a step, and they made their way towards the kitchen, where the smell of eggs and bacon beckoned them closer.

It turns out, Heejin had very little to worry about. Most of the people piled at the dining room table were too focused on their own conversations to pay much attention to her, which she was fine with. 

It was only after Hyunjin and her had grabbed their food and sat down at the table next to everyone that the people noticed her. 

“Heejin!” Jiwoo’s loud voice pierced the air across the table, and Heejin smiled at her energetic friend, happy to see her again. It was nice to hear her voice. 

And it was even nicer to hug her, Heejin acknowledged as Jiwoo sprinted around the table and enveloped her in a tight hug. 

“Hi, Jiwoo!” Heejin said, unable to keep the grin from her face as she hugged Jiwoo back. “It’s nice to see you.” 

“You too, Heekkie!!” Jiwoo said, her smile taking up her entire face. 

“Hi, Heejin,” came a voice from her left after Jiwoo had pulled away. 

Heejin turned, happy to find Sooyoung sitting a few seats away with a hesitant smile on her face. “Sooyoung!” Heejin said, giving the girl a happy wave. “I’m happy you’re okay.” 

Sooyoung nodded towards her. “Happy  _ I’m  _ okay?” she said, disbelief coating her tone. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

“Yeah,” Heejin agreed, taking a bite of her eggs. She glanced around the table to find everyone looking at her. There were a few people she was unfamiliar with, until her eyes landed on the familiar blonde to the right of Hyejoo, and she nearly choked on her eggs. 

She coughed a bit, her eyes widening in shock as she made eye contact with the girl. “You?” she managed. 

The girl gave her a sheepish smile, scratching the back of her neck. “Yeah, me.” she agreed, her voice still in that familiar soft tone. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you out of there sooner, but we needed time to plan.” 

Heejin nodded, blinking a few times. 

“My name is Chaewon, by the way,” she added. “It’s nice to officially meet you.” 

Heejin snorted a bit. It was inaccurate to say they were meeting for the first time, as Chaewon had unfortunately seen Heejin when she was at her absolute lowest, and the girl had chosen to help her and show her kindness when no one else would. But, Heejin was willing to admit that she didn’t  _ really  _ know Chaewon. And Chaewon didn’t really know her. 

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Chaewon,” Heejin replied, testing out the unfamiliar name. “Thank you,” she added, a little quieter. 

Chaewon simply nodded, giving her a small smile. 

“Okay,” Jiwoo said, clapping her hands together cheerfully. “Now that you’re awake, time to meet everyone!” 

Heejin offered up a nod and a smile, glancing around the table once again. 

“You know me and Hyunjin, obviously,” Jiwoo said, laughing to herself a bit. She turned towards Sooyoung, and Heejin didn’t miss the blush that dusted her cheeks as the met eyes. “That’s Sooyoung, you know her too,” she waved towards Chaewon. “You and Chaewon know each other,” she finally turned to the other two girls waiting. “You met Hyejoo earlier, and this is Jinsoul.” 

All of the girls gave her a smile and a wave, and Heejin smiled back, happy to note that it wasn’t forced. 

“So how’re you feeling?” Jinsoul asked, a kind smile on her face. 

Heejin shrugged, taking another bite out of her eggs. “I’m fine, I guess,” she replied. “I’ll be better once this stupid collar is gone.” 

Everyone nodded, glancing warily towards the piece of metal encircling Heejin’s neck. There were still red marks surrounding the skin above and below the collar, but no one said anything about it. “At least we know we’re not being tracked with that thing, thanks to Hyejoo,” Chaewon said, her voice uncharacteristically intense. "She made sure as soon as we got back here."

Heejin hesitated. She hadn’t even thought of the possibility of being tracked. It made her shudder, and she set down her fork, suddenly losing her appetite. The very thought of having to go back to that place after tasting freedom for such a short time was horrifying. 

Hyunjin seemed to sense the line of thinking she was going down, and she abruptly changed the subject. “It’s Saturday,” she told Heejin, grabbing her attention. “So we don’t have any classes or anything,” 

Heejin’s eyes widened. She had almost completely forgotten about classes. They felt almost inconsequential at this point, considering what had happened to her the past three weeks. 

Oh god, she was probably failing all of her classes. She was going to have to  _ drop out.  _ All that studying she had done for Econ would be for no reason. 

“I know you’re probably not really thinking about classes of all things, right now,” Hyunjin said gently. “But I talked to your professors and the advisors and told them you were dealing with some family issues for the past couple weeks and you weren’t able to attend class. The professors gave me all the material you missed, and they told me they would be lenient about the assignments you couldn’t turn in while you were...away.” 

She looked up at Hyunjin, her eyes wide and grateful. “Oh my god, Hyun, thank you so much!” she said, slumping over in relief. “I could marry you right now,”

She took a deep breath, shoving a mouthful of eggs into her mouth and missing the way Hyunjin’s face reddened like a tomato at her comment.

A comfortable silence settled over the table as everyone ate. Heejin nearly cried at the taste of real food after being forced to eat tasteless bread and mystery casserole for so long. 

“You guys wanna watch some TV?” Hyejoo asked, her mouth still full of toast. “I can work on trying to get that collar off, if you want.” 

Heejin rapidly nodded, eager to get the piece of metal off as soon as possible. 

They all migrated to the couch, squeezing onto the small piece of furniture as best they could. Still, Jiwoo and Sooyoung ended up cuddling together in front of the couch, leaning against Heejin’s legs. 

Hyejoo propped herself up next to Heejin, grabbing a few screwdrivers and various other  tools and quietly setting to work on the collar. Hyunjin sat next to Heejin, wordlessly cradling her hand in her own while Jinsoul started playing an episode of Naruto. 

Hyunjin couldn’t keep the smile from her face as Heejin immediately lit up. Soon enough, she was enraptured with the TV, leaving Hyunjin free to look at her. 

She had clearly lost some weight, a fact Hunjin hadn’t missed when she was able to carry her out of the lab relatively easily. She seemed paler and a bit more slumped over, as if her time in the lab had affected not only her body, but also her mind. Hyunjin didn’t blame her. Heejin had been experimented on for nearly three weeks, forced to go through things Hyunjin didn’t even want to think about. 

She couldn’t keep herself from shuddering as she thought about that drug they had given Heejin, the condition it left her in. The fear in her eyes when she looked up at Hyunjin that day at the lab. 

Heejin picked up on her discomfort, though, ripping her eyes away from the TV and turning her gaze towards Hyunjin. “You okay?” she mouthed, careful not to move her head around too much as Hyejoo worked on the collar. 

Heejin squeezed Hyunjin’s hand a little tighter, offering reassurance. 

Hyunjin smiled back at her, nodding. “I’m fine,” she whispered. 

She sighed, leaning over and wordlessly resting her head on Heejin’s shoulder. If she noticed the way Heejin stiffened, the way her heart started beating incredibly fast, she didn’t say anything. 

Hyunjin just closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of having Heejin back and safe. She breathed in her familiar scent and released another sigh. “I’m really glad you’re back, Heejin.” she admitted, her voice a quiet whisper that only Heejin could hear. “I was worried.” 

Heejin blushed, a smile creeping up on her face. “I’m glad to be back,” she replied. 

She reached up a hand, wrapping her arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders and pulling her closer. 

“I really missed you.” 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin and Hyunjin's relationship goes through some changes

Slowly, things started to go back to normal. 

It took longer than they expected to figure out the collar, but after a few days of brainstorming and approaching the problem from different angles, Hyejoo finally figured out how to get the infernal device off of Heejin’s neck. 

Once it was off, Heejin felt like a new person. Her powers came rushing back to her, giving her an energy she hadn’t felt in weeks. It was like the heavy weight that had been pressing down against her chest for so long was finally gone. There was some slight scarring from where she had clawed at her neck, but it was light enough to not be visible. 

Hyunjin was there through it all, offering her support when Heejin was struggling or insisting that she would be there to listen if Heejin wanted to talk. 

If she was being honest, Heejin  _ really  _ didn’t want to talk. 

She wanted to forget it had ever happened. Even knowing that Hyunjin and the others had seen her in such a vulnerable state made Heejin cringe. She didn’t want Hyunjin to ever see her like that. It was humiliating. 

Regardless, life kept moving. 

Despite Hyunjin’s protests, Heejin insisted on going back on patrol. She was still regaining her strength and energy from her time in the lab, and still getting used to having her powers back, but she had already been gone for too long. And being Orbit made her feel a bit stronger than she felt when she was just Heejin, who was still struggling  _ a lot.  _

There were posts and articles all over wondering where Orbit had gone, why she had left, whether or not she was okay. It seemed like everyone had noticed her absence. 

Her paranoia creeped up and she wondered whether or not anyone in her classes would make the connection that the girl who had been absent for weeks was actually Orbit. It was already terrifying to think that so many people knew her identity now, but if strangers began to guess? It was scary. 

At everyone’s insistence, Heejin only went on patrol on the weekends now. And she wasn’t really complaining at this point, since she had so much classwork to catch up with anyway. 

She spent a few long nights with Hyunjin and Jinsoul working on her classwork. They helped her out when she was on the edge of a breakdown, offering to edit her horribly-written essay and quizzing her on the seemingly endless list of vocabulary terms for hours.

Heejin also started spending time with Hyejoo and Chaewon, though she often felt like a third wheel when they started holding hands or staring longingly into each other's eyes. But she couldn’t even say she was mad about it, if she was being honest. They were super cute together. If only they would get their act together and start  _ actually  _ dating.

Sooyoung started to come to her and Jiwoo’s training session, and she would sit at the sidelines and cheer Jiwoo on. Heejin would stick her tongue out at them and do her very best to beat Jiwoo. It always helped when Hyunjin sat next to Sooyoung and cheered for  _ her.  _ When she was with her friends, she found her thoughts weren’t nearly as overwhelming as they were when she was alone. Alone, Heejin found herself back in that horrible cell, back in the testing area, fighting an endless fight against nameless guards who showed no mercy. When she was fighting Jiwoo, though, it was with a smile and an energy she hadn't had in a while.

Her... _ thing _ with Hyunjin was getting pretty confusing at this point, she had to admit, especially since Heejin had basically moved into Hyunjin’s apartment. 

Jiwoo and Sooyoung had thankfully found a new apartment relatively quickly, although it wasn’t nearly as nice as their other one. They insisted it was fine, though, and that they were just happy to have a place of their own. Heejin was glad they found somewhere to live. She couldn’t help but blame herself a little for the fire at their place, since she had been the real target.

Regardless, Hyunjin often complained about being alone in her apartment, and Heejin usually felt too scared to sleep alone in her dorm. So she ended up spending most nights at Hyunjin’s dorm, curled up next to her in her small twin bed. 

At first, she had insisted that she take the couch, but after Hyunjin essentially forced her to sleep in the bed, Heejin had just surrendered. 

They spent a lot of their time together, and, gradually, the line between friendship and something more became more and more blurred. Heejin would even acknowledge that they had become painfully domestic throughout their daily lives. 

They would fall asleep together, Hyunjin usually holding Heejin in her arms to chase the nightmares away. When they woke, Hyunjin would get out of bed, barely awake and smiling a bit at how Heejin weakly protested, trying to pull her back in. She would start on breakfast, and eventually Heejin would get lonely and come out to join her. Heejin would get all their stuff together for class, making sure Hyunjin had all her supplies and stuff she needed, before they both ate whatever Hyunjin had made. They would get dressed and ready, and walk to the main campus together. 

And every time, without fail, when it was time to separate, Heejin would press a soft kiss against Hyunjin’s cheek. And every time,  _ without fail,  _ it turned Hyunjin into a blushing mess.

After classes, they would return home, take care of any homework they had and watch some TV together. In a couple hours, it was usually time to meet Jiwoo for training, and they walked over to the gym together. 

And yeah, sue her, Heejin was falling more and more in love with Hyunjin. It was something about the caring look she adopted when Heejin was struggling with something, or the way she always looked at her with so much concern and understanding when Heejin woke up crying from a nightmare. Or maybe it was how she never pushed her to talk about it, she never tried to make Heejin do something she wasn’t ready for. 

Still, she ignored her feelings. She didn’t want to ruin what they had, and she didn’t want to rush herself into a relationship, especially when she was already struggling with her own issues. She didn’t want to put that on Hyunjin. 

It had been about two and a half weeks since she had escaped, and she still woke up, terrified that she would turn up back in that cell, totally isolated and surrounded by dark stone walls and frigid cold. 

Often, she wondered when the pin would drop. 

When would they come after her again? When would they target someone she loved just to draw her out? It plagued her nights and mornings, and she found herself constantly looking over her shoulder. Surely, they wouldn’t just let her get away. She had taken the power from that rock, and she knew they were intent on getting it back, or at least getting some sort of data from it. Somehow they had replicated the power enough to give it to the bounty hunter she had fought, but she knew it wasn’t nearly to her level. The man looked like he could only teleport limited distances and it required a much greater amount of effort. 

She wondered whether or not he would come after her again.

She knew Hyunjin was nervous about it too. She noticed the way she always fidgeted with her hands when they walked home at night, the way she absolutely hated the idea of Heejin walking anywhere alone, how she would stumble out of bed in the middle of the night to check and make sure the door was locked. 

They were both afraid. And they had no idea what to do about it. 

But, for a while, it was quiet. 

They went about their routine, and things slowly returned to normal. The nightmares didn’t stop, but they decreased, especially when she spent the night in Hyunjin’s arms. 

On the bright side, after pulling a few all-nighters, she was all caught up with her classes, and she wasn’t failing, which was all she could ask for. 

It was almost three weeks after the events at the lab that everything changed.

They were asleep in Hyunjin’s bed, as usual. The room was dark, except for a dim night light Hyunjin had installed after she noticed the way Heejin seemed to withdraw and tense up when it was completely dark. 

Heejin was curled into Hyunjin, her head resting against Hyunjin’s chest and her arms wrapped around her waist. 

And then a soft murmur broke the silence and Hyunjin jolted awake. Her eyes shot open and she immediately moved to see if anyone was in the room with them.

Except, no one was, and the murmurs were growing louder. Hyunjin narrowed her eyes, struggling to gain her bearings, as she was still half-asleep. 

Then Heejin began to tremble in her arms, her quiet murmurs growing into incomprehensible words, along with the occasional whimper. 

Hyunjin’s heartstrings tugged at the sight. It had been a bit since the last nightmare, and it was always horrible. The nightmares left Heejin a mess, and it crushed Hyunjin to see Heejin in such a state.

She sighed and grabbed Heejin’s shoulders, gently shaking her in an attempt to wake her. Heejin didn’t budge. If anything, she began to tremble even more, releasing tiny whines and curling within herself. 

Hyunjin’s heart broke, and she shook Heejin a little harder, desperate to help. “Heekkie,” Hyunjin said, her face becoming worried. 

Heejin jerked out of her grasp, now violently shaking. Her mumbles had become a string of words, slurred and rapid. “Heejin,” Hyunjin said a bit more forcefully. 

“No,” Heejin mumbled, her face scrunched up in fear. 

“Heejin!” Hyunjin said, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her even more aggressively. 

Heejin's eyes shot open.

Hyunjin barely dodged the fist that came flying towards her face as Heejin jolted awake. Heejin yelled, her eyes wide and panicked as she took a wild swing. 

“Heejin!” Hyunjin yelled back, barely fazed by the punch Heejin had thrown. “You’re safe! It’s just me!” 

Heejin looked up at her with wild eyes, her breaths short and panicked. Hyunjin tried her best to give her a reassuring look, attempting to bring her out of the nightmare. 

Heejin swallowed, trying to catch her breath. She propped herself up on her elbows, her eyes still wide, but a little less scared as she met Hyunjin’s own eyes. “Hyun?” she asked quietly. 

“Yeah, Heekkie,” she said gently. “It’s just me.” 

Heejin blinked, as if not quite accepting it. “This is real, right?” she whispered. “You’re real?” 

Hyunjin nodded, giving her the most genuine look she could muster, if just to convince her that it was real. That  _ she  _ was real.

Heejin shook her head. “No, no, no,” she muttered, her voice becoming panicked. “It’s not real, you’re trying to trick me.” 

“No, Heejin!” Hyunjin insisted, alarmed, but Heejin was already lost in her fear. 

“You’re going to trick me, and I’m gonna be back there and you’re gonna be there and-”

Heejin spoke so quickly it was hard to make out what she was even saying. Her words were slurred and rapid, and Hyunjin began to panic as Heejin’s breaths became shorter and shorter. She was crying, now, tears streaming down her face. 

Hyunjin didn’t know what to do. Heejin wasn’t hearing her, and she didn’t seem to be aware of the hands shaking her and trying to snap her out of her nightmare. 

So she did the only thing she could think of. 

She leaned forward, lifting her hands to cup Heejin’s cheeks and pressing a soft kiss against her lips. 

It was messy, and it tasted of salt because of Heejin’s tears, but Hyunjin didn’t care. Kissing Heejin was everything she thought it would be. That is, magical. 

Regardless, it seemed to do the trick. Hyunjin pulled back after a moment, meeting Heejin’s wide, dazed eyes. Her lips were slightly parted, and she looked at Hyunjin with a mixture of amazement and uncertainty. 

“I’m here, and I’m real,” Hyunjin told her, her hands still resting on Heejin’s cheeks. Her voice was steady, reassuring, and Heejin felt her heart slow down just a bit, and her breaths become a bit more even. 

“Okay,” she breathed. “Okay.” 

Hyunjin nodded, her eyebrows raised, as if checking to make sure she was fine. Heejin nodded, swallowing. 

“Okay,” Hyunjin said, using her finger to brush a piece of hair from Heejin’s face. 

They stayed there for a moment, and Heejin slowly calmed down, taking comfort in Hyunjin’s warmth and reassurance until her heart stopped beating so fast. 

“Do you want to go back to sleep?” Hyunjin asked softly, running a hand through Heejin’s hair in a comforting way. 

Heejin swallowed. She was  _ exhausted,  _ but the thought of going to sleep was terrifying. 

She shook her head. 

Hyunjin nodded. “Okay, that’s fine,” she said. “I’ll go make us some hot chocolate-” 

“Don’t leave!” Heejin said, and she was immediately embarrassed by how desperate she sounded. 

“Okay,” Hyunjin said. “How about this? We go to the living room, I’ll make some hot chocolate for both of us and we can stay up watching some Naruto.” 

Heejin nodded. “Okay.” 

“Okay.” 

Halfway through the second episode, Heejin was snoring, curled into Hyunjin’s arms and softly snoring, her lips slightly parted. 

Hyunjin smiled at her for a moment before carefully reaching for the remote and turning off the TV. She draped the entire blanket over the girl before reaching out and carefully picking her up off the couch. 

Hyunjin frowned. Though Heejin was gaining some weight back, she was still entirely too light. She was easily able to carry her back to the bed and gently set her down on the mattress. Heejin mumbled a bit before immediately pulling the blanket closer and reaching a hand out towards Hyunjin. 

Heejin’s hand wrapped around Hyunjin’s wrist and she barely had any warning before she was being yanked into the bed, Heejin wrapping her arms around her waist.

Hyunjin chuckled a bit before getting comfortable next to Heejin, a smile on her face. 

They had kissed. 

It had been messy, and unexpected, and not even close to romantic, but Hyunjin wouldn’t have it any other way. 

She had kissed Heejin, and it had been everything she had imagined. 

She grinned, unable to keep her face from smiling, before leaning even closer to Heejin, taking comfort in her familiar scent. 

They each slept very well that night. 

They didn’t talk about it. But they both felt the shift, the change in their relationship. 

They still continued their domestic routine, caring for each other and making sure the other was sleeping and eating well, but there was a certain...tension. Eye contact, lingering touches, and various near-kisses. 

Around the fifth day after the kiss, Heejin had had enough. They were sprawled on the couch, watching yet another episode of Naruto. Heejin had gone on patrol a few hours before, coming back to Hyunjin’s apartment tired and beaten. There had been an unexpected struggle with a few robbers, and Heejin had been on the wrong end of a few rogue punches and kicks. 

She didn’t talk to Hyunjin about it, but the girl knew her well enough by then to know when she was injured or hiding something. And Heejin was doing both. 

She forced Heejin to go wash up before gathering together a few ice packs and bandages. By the time Heejin came out of the shower, dressed in a pair of baggy sweats and her hair dripping wet, Hyunjin already had a mug of hot chocolate ready and Naruto was already playing. 

Heejin felt her heart warm at the sight. Hyunjin gestured for her to sit down, fussing over the bruises and cuts on her torso and arms. 

Hyunjin gently placed ointment and bandages on most of her cuts, preventing them from bleeding any more and she pressed an ice pack against the growing bruise marring Heejin’s midsection. Heejin hissed as the intense cold of the ice pack pressed against her torso, but she didn’t move away. 

They sat like that for a while, and somehow Heejin ended up leaning into Hyunjin, her head resting on the girl’s shoulder while Hyunjin’s hand ran soothing strokes up and down her arm. It caused goosebumps to break out across Heejin’s skin, and she leaned in a bit closer.

Something clicked, then. 

Heejin frowned, barely paying attention to the TV at this point, too focused on the fingers running down her arm. She blinked. 

She wanted to kiss Hyunjin so bad. 

But what was stopping her? Hyunjin had kissed  _ her  _ that night, after all. And she had yet to express her regrets about it. 

She shook her head. They were both being dumb, avoiding each other and side stepping these feelings. They were basically already dating at this point. Heejin literally slept in Hyunjin’s bed. She had basically moved into her apartment, for god’s sake.

“Hyun?” Heejin asked, glad to notice that her voice was steady despite her growing nerves. 

“Hm?” Hyunjin hummed, not even looking over. Her eyes were glued to the TV, but her fingers continued their pattern up and down Heejin’s bicep. 

Heejin swallowed. 

“Are we dating?” 

There was silence, and Hyunjin’s fingers halted. 

Heejin swore her heart would beat out her chest.  _ Stupid, stupid!  _ she cursed herself.  _ Now Hyunjin’s going to think you’re weird, you just ruined everything, why couldn’t you just leave it alone, you IDIOT-- _

“Ya, I guess,” Hyunjin said after a moment, shrugging. Her fingers had resumed running down Heejin’s arm. 

Heejin’s heartbeat gradually slowed as she comprehended Hyunjin’s answer. Oh.

She blinked. “Huh.” 

“Huh,” Hyunjin replied.

Heejin dared to look up at Hyunjin, her eyebrows raised. Hyunjin noticed her looking, peering down at her with a small smile. “You okay with that?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. 

Heejin nodded. “Yeah,” she replied. “I think I am.” 

Hyunjin’s smile grew. “I’m glad to hear that.” 

Silence consumed the room, and Heejin was left cursing her stupidity. It had really been that easy? Why the hell did she wait so long? 

“Hey, Hyun?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Hyunjin’s fingers paused again, but this time it was because Hyunjin’s arms were moving, wrapping around Heejin’s shoulders and pulling her closer. 

Heejin met Hyunjin’s eyes, and Hyunjin gave her a soft smile. “Absolutely.” 

Heejin didn’t need any more motivation. 

They both leaned in, their lips meeting in the middle, and Heejin could feel the smile forming on Hyunjin’s face as they kissed. 

She couldn’t blame her, if she was being honest. Kissing Hyunjin was everything she wanted. It was amazing. Heejin leaned even more, bringing up her hands to cradle Hyunjin’s jaw. Her left hand creeped towards the back of her neck, pulling Hyunjin even closer. 

Hyunjin easily responded, deepening the kiss and likewise resting her hands along Heejin’s jaw. 

They kissed for a while before they were forced to pull back, gulping down air. 

Heejin met Hyunjin’s eyes, a dazed look on her face. Hyunjin chuckled a bit, reaching out and brushing back a piece of hair that had drifted in front of Heejin’s face. 

“You mean I could have been doing that the whole time?” Heejin whined, her face scrunching with realization. 

Hyunjin laughed. “Believe me,” she said with a nod. “I’m having the same crisis.” 

Heejin offered her a grin. “We’re so stupid.” 

Hyunjin nodded with a smile of her own. “Very.”

There was a small moment of silence as they both contemplated what had just happened. 

Hyunjin finally broke the silence after a few seconds. “Wanna make out?” 

“Sure.” 

“Hey, Heejin?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I ran an Orbit hate blog for a while.” 

“Yeah, I know.” 

_ “What.”  _

  
  


The rest of the group took the news of Hyunjin and Heejin’s new relationship with varying degrees of drama. 

Jiwoo obviously squealed, embracing them both in congratulatory hugs with a huge smile on her face. 

Sooyoung simply rolled her eyes, giving them both flat looks. “‘Bout time,” she snorted. 

Hyunjin gave her a sharp look in return. “You’re saying that to  _ us?”  _ she asked, eyebrows raised. “What about you and Ji-” 

“ _ Okay.”  _ Heejin had interrupted before Hyunjin could finish. "Thank you, guys."

Jinsoul had offered her congratulations as well, though she seemed similarly exasperated at how long they had taken in the first place. 

When they told Chaewon and Hyejoo, they simply adopted confused looks. “You guys weren’t dating before?” Hyejoo asked in genuine shock. 

Heejin blinked while Chaewon nodded. “Yeah, I thought you guys were girlfriends after the night of the heist.” 

Hyunjin scoffed. “Whatever,” she sputtered. "We weren't."

When Heejin finally recovered, she crossed her arms and gave them both a flat look. “What about you guys?” she asked, hoping to catch them off-guard. “Aren’t you dating?” 

They didn’t seem fazed. Hyejoo simply picked up their grasped hands, raising her eyebrows. “Uh, yeah?” she said as if it were obvious. 

Chaewon nodded. “We started dating after the heist.” she said. “We thought everyone knew, we weren’t exactly hiding it.” 

Heejin and Hyunjin gaped at them. 

“ _ What.”  _

  
  


It all went to shit one quiet evening, about 2 months after it had all happened. 

Heejin and Hyunjin had been sharing a late dinner at the cafe down the street, giggling over some stupid thirst post about Orbit that had gone viral. 

Heejin had officially moved into Hyunjin’s apartment, clearing out her tiny dorm and moving her limited belongings to the apartment. They often spent their nights at the cafe together, sharing an appetizer and just talking and laughing together for a few hours.

It was an off-day for Heejin, since she didn’t have to patrol tonight, so they were once again at the cafe.

“I’m just saying,” Hyunjin was loudly proclaiming over Heejin’s wheezes of laughter. “You could just quietly make a post about how you’re  _ taken.”  _

Heejin wiped a tear from her eyes, still giggling at the pout on Hyunjin’s face. “You want me to use the  _ official  _ Orbit twitter page to tell the internet that I have a girlfriend?” she asked incredulously. 

“Yes!” Hyunjin immediately responded, causing Heejin to break into another fit of laughter. “Is that so much to ask? Maybe that will stop all these internet lesbians.” 

Heejin shook her head. “Aw, you’re cute when you’re jealous, Hyun,” she said with a smile. Hyunjin began to protest, but Heejin continued anyway, ignoring her. “Besides, you know as well as I do that there’s no stopping lesbians on twitter. They’re inevitable.” 

Hyunjin frowned, but she couldn’t argue with that. “Couldn’t hurt to make a small post,” she muttered, crossing her arms. 

“ _ Fine,”  _ Heejin conceded, exasperation clear in her tone. “As soon as we get home, I’ll make a post. I’ll even let you proofread it and make sure it’s up to your standards.” 

Hyunjin smiled at her. “Thank you, Heekkie.” 

Heejin rolled her eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” she warned. 

Just as Hyunjin opened her mouth to retort, the piercing ring of Heejin’s phone caused the words to catch in her throat. Heejin involuntarily flinched, her eyes clouding with fear and concern as she glanced over at her bag, where she knew her phone lay inside. 

No one should be calling her right now. 

She met eyes with Hyunjin as the phone continued to ring. They were both thinking of that night, she knew. The night it had all gone wrong, the night where Heejin’s life had changed. 

Regardless, Heejin clenched her jaw, steeling herself before reaching over to her bag and taking out her phone. Hyunjin followed her with her eyes, offering her silent support. 

Heejin shook away her thoughts of the worst. She was being dumb, it was just a phonecall. It was probably just a telemarketer, or Hyejoo calling about a new record she had gotten in some video game. 

It was fine. 

Except, when Heejin’s thumb hovered over the answer call button, she couldn’t help the chill that ran up her spine as she noticed who was calling. 

Jinsoul. 

Jinsoul  _ never  _ called. She always texted, no matter the occasion, no matter how inconvenient it may be. Heejin had often heard her proclaim that phone calls were the bane of her existence. 

She looked up at Hyunjin. She quickly caught on to her worried expression, her brows furrowing in concern. 

“It’s Jinsoul,” Heejin said, and it was enough for Hyunjin to understand her worry. 

Heejin finally picked up the call, hesitantly putting the phone to her ear. 

Silence. 

“Jin?” Heejin asked, her heart beating faster and faster as she barely heard an answer. 

It felt like hours before Heejin heard anything, and Hyunjin looked at her with an alarmed expression when she nearly dropped her phone at the gruff, male voice that sounded through the speakers.

“I’ll be at the old football stadium at midnight.” the man said, his voice a slow crawl that sent chills down her spine. She recognized that voice. 

The bounty hunter.

“Who are you?” Heejin asked, her voice hard. “Why are you doing this?” 

Hyunjin swallowed at the barely disguised fear in her voice. 

The man laughed, and Heejin’s face twisted into one of anger as she listened.

“I suggest you meet me there, Jeon,” he said. “But, just in case you’re unsure, I’ll send you some motivation. Come alone.” 

Heejin opened her mouth, prepared to ask more questions, only for the familiar sound of the call ending to interrupt her. She swallowed, closing her mouth and slowly dropping the phone towards the table. 

Hyunjin looked at her with wide eyes, taking in Heejin’s dazed eyes and the devastation in her face. “What’s wrong?” she asked, alarmed. “Is Jinsoul okay?” 

Heejin just shook her head, unable to form the words. 

Unfortunately, it seemed she didn’t have to, as another ding sounded, signaling a text. 

Hyunjin picked up the phone before Heejin could, her brows furrowed. She opened the text, her face morphing into one of shock as she saw the text. She dropped the phone to the table, horror clear in her eyes.

Heejin had a sinking feeling she knew what the text would be. Still, she gathered the courage to look at the message. 

A chill ran down her spine as she saw the picture ‘Jinsoul’ had sent. 

The photo displayed the limp form of their friend, sprawled across the ground, seemingly unconscious. Blood poured from her nose and a bruise was clearly forming on her cheek, but it was unmistakable. 

The bounty hunter had Jinsoul. 

She couldn’t tell the location from the photo, it was too blurry and dark. 

Heejin swallowed her horror long enough to glance down at the text beneath the photo. 

_ I’ll be expecting you at midnight, Orbit. Make sure you come alone, or there will be consequences.  _

Heejin met eyes with her girlfriend, and Hyunjin looked back at her. They were both afraid. 

And they both had no idea what to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave me a comment or kudos if you enjoyed!! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin and Hyunjin deal with the situation with varying degrees of panic, and Heejin faces off against the bounty hunter one last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay this chapter is kind of long, fair warning. Thanks for all the comments and support, I really enjoy reading you guys' feedback. Feel free to drop me a comment or kudos if you enjoyed, we're getting close to the end now! :)))))

It took roughly ten minutes for Heejin to become nearly hysterical. 

“Oh my god, oh my god,” she rambled, running her hands furiously through her hair as the sped-walked back towards the apartment. “What do I do, Hyun? Wat am I supposed to do? Jinsoul’s in danger, I put her in danger, this is all my fault, why didn’t I expect this, why am I so  _ stupid _ -” 

“ _ Heejin.”  _ Hyunjin interrupted, her voice hard. 

Heejin stopped, but her eyes were still filled with panic. 

“Just calm down, okay?” Hyunjin said, reaching out a hand and taking Heejin’s within her own. “Let’s wait until we get to the apartment to start panicking.” 

Heejin looked unsure, but she nodded. 

She fiddled anxiously with the strings of her hoodie on the walk back, her mind reeling with thoughts of Jinsoul getting hurt, or worse, just because of her. 

Hyunjin seemed to sense her anxiety, and she pushed through her own enough to rub calming circles onto Heejin’s hand with her thumb, doing her best to calm down herself. They had to think this through logically, she knew, and nothing was going to come from them panicking immediately. 

Finally, they made it back to the apartment, and Heejin was already a mess as soon as the door opened, ripping her hand out from Hyunjin’s to run it through her hair instead, a nervous habit that Hyunjin had begun to pick up on. Heejin swallowed, beginning to pace around the living room as Hyunjin locked the door behind them and went to start on a cup of coffee. 

“I have to go.” Heejin concluded after a few moments’ worth of pacing and thinking. “There’s no other way.” 

Hyunjin shook her head from the kitchen, even though she knew Heejin couldn’t see her. “Heekkie, you know you can’t do that,” she sighed, separating the coffee into two mugs and walking out to the living room. She wordlessly handed the coffee to Heejin, who took a quick sip and then set the mug down on the coffee table. “It’s obviously a trap, and you going and getting caught wouldn’t help anyone.” 

Heejin whipped her head around to face Hyunjin, who had taken a seat on the couch. “It would help Jinsoul!” she pointed out, her eyes wide. “She could end up dead if I _don’t_ go, Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin sighed. She knew as well as Heejin did that this was a difficult situation. If Heejin met up with the bounty hunter, there’s no doubt that he would be ready for her, and he would probably end up recapturing her, or worse. On the flip side, if Heejin didn’t go, or she arrived with backup, Jinsoul could pay the price. 

“Okay, we’ve got about 45 minutes ‘til midnight,” she said, trying her best to keep her voice calm. “Let’s just go over our options and come up with an actual plan, right?”

Heejin swallowed, shaking her head. “There’s no time, Hyun,” she insisted. “He could be hurting her every second we waste.” 

Hyunjin narrowed her eyes as she saw the look on Heejin’s face. 

Her stomach dropped as she finally recognized it. 

It was the same look Heejin had when she insisted on going out for patrol even when she was injured, the look she had when she insisted on continuing on as Orbit even though she was still traumatized from the events of the lab. 

The look she had when she saved Hyunjin that night in the alleyway. 

“No,” Hyunjin said, shaking her head as her voice became thick. Her calm facade began to crumble as she saw the determined expression cross Heejin’s face. She stood, setting her mug of coffee roughly against the table. “Don’t do this Heejin, I recognize that look.” 

Heejin didn’t even bother denying it. They both knew what she was thinking. 

“Please,” Hyunjin said, taking a step towards her girlfriend with her arm stretched outward. “Let’s just talk about it before you make such a reckless decision.” 

Heejin swallowed again, looking up and meeting Hyunjin’s eyes. “There’s no other way, Hyun,” she said quietly. 

Hyunjin aggressively shook her head. “Yes, there is, Heekkie!” she cried. “You  _ have  _ friends! You have people who will help you, if you just let them. Let me call everyone, and we can make a plan-” 

Hyunjin was talking, but she could tell Heejin wasn’t hearing anything she was saying. She was too trapped in her desperation and guilt over Jinsoul. In her mind, she was making the right decision. The  _ only  _ decision. 

“No, no,” she muttered. “I don’t want to bring anyone else into this,” 

“ _ They’re already in this!”  _ Hyunjin cried, ignoring the tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She could feel Heejin pulling further and further away, and she knew it was only a matter of time before she was gone completely. “Just let them help!” 

“I’m sorry, Hyun,” Heejin whispered, stepping back. 

“Heejin!” Hyunjin yelled as Heejin moved towards the door, avoiding her girlfriend’s gaze. “Please don’t go!” 

Heejin continued walking. 

“I don’t want to lose you again,” Hyunjin said just as Heejin reached the door, her voice barely a whisper, but loud enough for Heejin to hear. 

Heejin paused midstep, squeezing her eyes shut as she heard the emotion in her girlfriend’s voice. She swallowed, forcing herself to turn around and face Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin stared at her with pleading eyes, and Heejin struggled to keep her resolve from crumbling. She forced a small smile. “Hey, you’re acting like it’s already over,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Maybe give me a bit more credit. After all, I  _ am  _ Orbit.” 

And with that, she was gone, rushing out of the door and pulling her hood over her head to keep from crying. She bit back a sob as she closed the door behind her. She knew Hyunjin probably hated her for pulling this stunt, and maybe she was making a mistake in not asking for help, but she couldn’t risk anymore people getting hurt because of her. 

It was for the best.

She gathered her composure, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath. 

And with one more glance back at Hyunjin’s apartment, at  _ their  _ apartment, she started towards the old football stadium. 

  
  


Heejin walked for a while, struggling to contain her anxiety at the whole situation. She couldn’t deny that she was risking a lot by doing this, but she just couldn’t afford for Jinsoult to get hurt because of her. She couldn’t afford for any of her friends to. 

And Hyunjin was a different story altogether. 

Heejin had never felt this way about anyone before, and she knew in her very bones that she wouldn’t risk Hyunjin for anything or anyone. She might have made a mistake tonight, and she might have damaged their relationship beyond repair, but it was for the best. Hyunjin hating her was better than Hyunjin dying because of her. 

The night was cold, and Heejin found herself hugging her jacket closer. 

She swallowed when she noticed it was Hyunjin’s, a big, worn hoodie that Heejin had stolen from her closet when she was cold and never gave back. 

Heejin shivered, and it wasn’t just because of the cold. 

The old football stadium was coming into view now. She was about a block away, and Heejin was beginning to realize just how unprepared she was. She had no supplies, no weapons, and no plan. 

Hell, she didn’t even have her mask. Not that it mattered, though, considering this guy seemed to just know everything about her for some reason. 

Heejin swallowed as the stadium loomed closer and closer. It would be completely abandoned at this hour, and the stadium was isolated enough that no one would be close enough to hear any noise from inside. 

She wondered what she would find inside. Deep in the back of her head, she was fighting back the thought that Jinsoul might already be dead, that all of this would have been for nothing and it would be all her fault. She shook away those thoughts, trying her best to clear her head.

Regardless of how unprepared she was, Heejin was determined to get her friend out safely. She had a few tricks up her sleeve, and it wasn’t like she was helpless. 

This guy was just another criminal. 

And this time, he didn’t have the element of surprise. He definitely had the upper hand, but Heejin was ready to fight him, confident that he didn’t have any more surprise powers to throw at her. 

Heejin took a deep breath as she reached the edge of the fence that looked out onto the field. 

There was no one there. 

Heejin took out her phone and glanced at the time, pointedly ignoring her background, a picture of Hyunjin and her laughing as Hyunjin shoved an entire slice of bread in her mouth.

11:55. 

She narrowed her eyes before sliding her phone back into her pocket and approaching the fence. 

She easily hopped it, landing gracefully in the grass of the field on the other side. She took another wary glance around the field, eyes peeled for any sign of movement, but there was none. 

The silence of the stadium was eerie, and the field was dark. Heejin could barely see in front of her, and the only sound that filled the area was her soft footsteps on the grass.

She just barely repressed a shudder as a particularly strong breeze blew through the air, whipping her hair around and prompting her to hug the hoodie closer. 

She checked the time again, glancing around the stadium. It was dark, yet she still saw no sign of movement. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the screen. 11:58.

Where was he?

As if on cue, Heejin nearly jumped out of her skin as the stadium lights suddenly flickered on with a loud clanging sound. She blinked as her eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness. 

Just before she could gather her bearings, the sound of a grunt sounded from behind her, near the entrance of the stadium. 

Heejin took a deep breath, steeling herself before turning around to face the entrance. 

Sure enough, a familiar face was waiting there for her. Two faces, actually. 

Heejin’s face remained impassive, but her heart hammered at the sight of the knife being pressed against Jinsoul’s thoat. Heejin narrowed her eyes, meeting gazes with the man holding her friend in his gasp, his smile pleased and near manic. 

Something had changed between now and when she had last seen the man, she could see it just by looking at his posture, the way his eyes shone with some new desperation. He was more unstable than he had been. 

Which just meant he was more unpredictable.

“Ah, Orbit,” the man said, his voice just as slimy and raspy as Heejin remembered. “Nice of you to join us.” 

He jostled Jinsoul in his grasp as if to further prove his point. 

Jinsoul grunted a bit, a scowl painted on her face as she struggled against the man. She briefly met eyes with Heejin, and Heejin’s eyes softened only for a moment as she saw the slight fear in Jinsoul’s gaze.

She looked back up at the man holding her friend, her eyes steely with rage. “This is all a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” she asked, clenching her fist. 

The man shrugged, and Heejin withheld a wince as the knife hovered ever closer to Jinsoul’s throat, the blade unsteady as the man’s hand shook. “I’ve always had a certain  _ flair  _ for the dramtic _ ,  _ don’t you agree?” 

Heejin grit her teeth. “Unfortunately, yes,” she said. 

The man released a laugh at that. 

“Who even are you?” Heejin asked after a moment. “Why are you doing all this?” 

The man shrugged again, and this time, Heejin couldn’t stop herself from growling as the knife pricked Jinsould’s skin, drawing a bit of blood and a small whimper from the girl. “Why not?” he asked. “I get paid for tracking down the vigilante bitch who thinks she owns this city.” 

He looked down at Jinsoul, sliding the blade across her jaw threateningly. Jinsoul closed her eyes as she felt the blade scrape against her cheek. “It’s fun, what can I say?” 

Heejin’s fists were clenched so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. Her eyes tracked the blade as it came to rest back against Jinsoul’s throat. “This is between me and you,” Heejin spat. “Leave her out of it.” 

The man chuckled, as if the notion was laughable. Heejin’s face twisted into a glare. “You know that’s not going to happen.” 

“So what do you want?” Heejin asked, her eyes darting between Jinsoul and the man. She had to act soon, or it would be over before it started. 

“Well,” the man said, quirking his head a bit, as if considering her question. “Those asshats at the lab want me to bring you back there,” 

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t expected it, but Heejin couldn’t withhold the shudder of fear that ran through her at the thought of returning to that place. She briefly met eyes with Jinsoul, and she seemed just as alarmed as Heejin. 

“But I don’t think I’m going to do that,” the man said matter-of-factly.

Heejin narrowed her eyes. “And why’s that?” 

The man gave her a chilling smile. “Do you remember the name...Hansol? _ ” _

Heejin stiffened. 

She could never forget that name. It haunted her, kept her up on late nights. It was a name that made her almost drop the Orbit identity all together.

She said nothing.

He laughed. “Well, I sure do,” he said. His eyes shone with barely concealed rage. “He was my brother. At least, he  _ was  _ my brother before  _ Orbit  _ got him arrested and he decided he’d rather die than face life in prison.” 

His smile seemed to be frozen onto his face.

Heejin swallowed. “Listen-” 

“ _ NO!”  _ the man yelled suddenly, his voice echoing through the empty field. “I’m done listening.” 

He took a breath, as if collecting himself. Jinsoul met Heejin’s eyes, not even bothering to disguise her fear this time. 

“When I heard that there was a bounty on your head, I didn’t hesitate before following up and contacting that stupid lab.” he said, his voice shaking slightly. “I thought, what better way to get revenge for my brother than by putting the bitch that killed him through hell?” 

Heejin swallowed. The man was getting more and more unstable by the minute. 

“And then,” he breathed, fixing Heejin with a glare. “You  _ escaped.”  _

They were running out of time, Heejin knew. He was getting less predictable every minute they stood there, and it was only a matter of time before he acted. 

“But now,” he said. “I think I’m going to put an end to this once and for all. For my brother.” 

Heejin clenched her jaw. It was now or never.

He raised his knife, and Jinsoul flinched back, struggling wildly in his iron grip, to no avail. He held her firm. 

Heejin held out her arm, closing her eyes and focusing on the tingling between her shoulder blades.

The man growled. “Starting with your little friend-” 

He was interrupted when the knife he planned to drag across Jinsoul’s neck spontaneously disappeared from his hand. He grunted a little, involuntarily loosening his grip on Jinsoul out of shock.

Jinsoul didn’t waste any time before launching her elbow into the man’s face and desperately pushing herself out of his grasp, stumbling across the grass towards Heejin. 

The man was still staring at his empty hands, eyes wide. 

When he finally gathered his bearings enough to glance up, he growled when he saw Heejin standing across the field, the knife now held between her own fingers. 

Heejin allowed herself a small smirk as she met the man’s eyes. She had been practicing that trick for a while now, ever since she had gotten the collar off. 

Jinsoul sprinted over to her friend, engulfing her in a quick hug before moving beside her and turning towards the man. 

Heejin shook her head, already pushing Jinsoul towards the fence. “Go, Jin,” she said, clutching the knife a little tighter. Her eyes never left the man. “I got this.” 

Jinsoul shook her head. “No, I’m not just gonna leave you,” she protested. “He’ll kill you, Heejin-” 

“Don’t count me out just yet,” Heejin interrupted. “Please go.” 

She briefly turned towards Jinsoul, fixing her with a pleading gaze. “I’ll be fine.” 

Jinsoul seemed to hesitate for a moment before glancing between the man and Heejin. She finally nodded and began running towards the fence. 

Heejin was left facing the man, her eyes narrowed and her knuckles white as she clutched the knife even tighter. It was nothing special, she noticed, just a simple hunting knife. Although, it did seem to be used regularly, based on the numerous scratches on the blade and the hilt, as well as the suspicious stains that hadn’t quite been washed off the edge of the blade. 

“Neat trick,” the man spat, his eyes lingering on Jinsoul’s retreating form as she ran towards the fence. 

Heejin glared at him. 

The tension was thick, and they exchanged stares for a few more seconds before the pin finally dropped and the man began sprinting towards her. 

Heejin decided right then and there that she was absolutely not going down without a fight. She stood still as the man ran towards her, rage flashing in his eyes. 

She regretted the way his brother had died, truly. It continues to haunt her throughout

many sleepless nights and guilt-filled patrols. But she knew it wasn’t her fault. He made his decision, and she was not to blame for his struggle. Heejin did what she thought was right, and she wasn’t just going to sit down and let this guy blame her for his brother’s death, as if  _ she  _ had killed him. 

He clenched her jaw as the man got closer and closer, easily shifting into her fighting stance, planting her feet firmly on the grass of the field and holding the knife out in front of her. 

When she finally deemed him close enough, she feinted left with the knife, causing the man to instinctively jerk right, still rocketing towards her. However, as he jerked right, she twirled around until she had dodged his tackle, planting a punch of her own in between his shoulder blades as he flew past her. 

He stumbled, but ultimately seemed unfazed. 

Whipping around, he growled before launching a punch towards Heejin’s face. Heejin barely jerked her head to the side to dodge, bringing her hands up in an attempt to grab the man’s outstretched arms. 

He easily shook out of her grip, though, continuing to throw various strikes towards Heejin. 

Heejin was clearly disadvantaged in this particular scenario, she acknowledged. The man had the upper hand when it came to strength and power, and she knew she had to rely on her speed and agility to get her out of this. She knew she was technically stronger than most, but her fighting style didn’t normally allow for many strong strikes, especially when she was too busy barely dodging the powerful blows from her opponent. If a few of those punches actually found their targets, Heejin was done for. 

She jerked left, barely missing the kick the man had aimed towards her torso. Her eyes narrowed as she finally saw her opening, the man’s side that he had left unguarded in his offensive strikes. 

Without hesitation, she twirled around and launched a well-aimed kick directly into his side. The man released a groan, stumbling to the side. He quickly recovered, though, taking advantage of Heejin’s momentary lapse in defense to land a solid kick to her stomach. 

She grunted, stumbling back but managing to keep herself from falling over. 

And just like that, it was back to square one, with Heejin dodging the man’s attacks over and over again while barely getting in a few strikes of her own. 

They were evenly matched, it seemed, and it would all come down to who would last longer. Heejin had yet to use her powers, a fact that the man seemed very conscious of, if his darting glances all around him were any clue. He was always on guard, ready for her to finally teleport. Heejin, to her credit, was also wary. She knew the man also had powers, albeit limited ones, but they could definitely do some damage if she wasn’t careful. 

However, for the time being, it seemed they were both content with hand-to-hand combat. 

Heejin swung her knife out at him, hoping to at least slow him down, only for his hand to grab hers mid-swing

He squeezed,  _ hard,  _ and Heejin couldn’t contain her yell of pain as at least one of her fingers broke. She lost her grip on the knife, sinking to the ground as the man continued to squeeze her hand. His face twisted into a sick smile as he met her eyes, pushing her further towards the grass.

Involuntary tears pricked her eyes, and she struggled to escape his grip, but it was solid. Finally, she took the out, focusing on that ever-present tingle on her back and meeting his eyes before disappearing into thin air. 

The man, regardless of how prepared he was for that to happen, could do little to prevent Heejin from teleporting directly behind him and launching her foot into the back of his knee, causing him to fall to the ground.

She didn’t let up, slamming the tip of her boot into his side and then landing a solid kick to his stomach. 

She leaned down over him, landing a few well-placed punches into his nose and jaw, ignoring the pain in her hand as she did so. 

Adrenaline was a hell of a thing, she knew. 

She kept going, not letting the man catch a breath between her strikes. He groaned as Heejin slammed the bottom of her palm into his nose, resulting in a satisfying crunch. 

_ Still,  _ Heejin didn’t let up, reeling back to land another punch to his face. 

But then, Heejin stopped mid-swing when the man released a wet laugh. He spat out a wad of blood, smiling up at her. 

Heejin grit her teeth. “What’s so funny, huh?” she said, grabbing his shoulders and shoving him further into the grass. 

The man grunted, but his smile didn’t fade. “You,” he said, as if it were obvious.

Heejin’s grip on the man’s shirt became tighter, her knuckles turning white. Her jaw clenched, and she looked down at the man with barely concealed rage in her eyes.

“You’re so  _ scared  _ of going back to that place,” he laughed, not even fazed by Heejin’s glare. “You think getting rid of me will end this? You’re even stupider than I thought.” 

Heejin snarled, unable to control her fury. She raised her fist, prepared to launch it directly into the man’s throat. You can never go wrong with a good old throat punch, in her opinion. It was as good a philosophy as any. 

But, again, Heejin found herself faltering as the man began to speak again. 

“You know,” he coughed. “I almost went after that little girlfriend of yours instead. What’s her name, again? Hyunjin?” 

Heejin’s heart stopped, and her mouth suddenly went dry. 

“It would have been  _ so  _ easy, too,” he continued. “I watched you guys for a while. I know her schedule as well as my own, now.” 

Anger shot through her, sudden and intense. She grit her teeth, clenching her fist even tighter. 

“In the end, I decided to go for the other one,” the man said conversationally. “But, seeing how angry you are right now, I think I probably should have grabbed her instead. At least it would have been a bit more fun to kill her in front of you.” 

Heejin couldn’t control herself. She lurched forwards, wrapping her hands around his throat and pushing him further into the grass with a snarl. The very thought of him even laying a  _ finger  _ on Hyunjin filled her with rage.

“Are you mad because I threatened her?” he choked out, a smug smile still on his face despite his circumstances. “Or are you mad because you can’t protect her? Or is it because you can’t protect anyone?” 

Red was creeping on the edge of Heejin’s vision, and she could feel herself trembling, consumed with fury. “Shut up!” she yelled, squeezing her hands tighter around his throat. 

He was still smiling at her, even as his face turned redder and redder. As if he knew something Heejin didn’t. 

Heejin could barely see straight at this point, too consumed in her fury. All she could focus on was hurting this man. She shoved him further into the grass, gritting her teeth as she grasped his throat.

And then, everything stopped all at once. 

All her energy left her in one moment, and she stumbled to the grass, falling off the man and losing her grip on his throat. 

He coughed and sputtered, rubbing a hand over his throat as he attempted to catch his breath. 

Heejin was barely aware of him at this point, too focused on the sudden  _ emptiness  _ that clawed at her. She gasped for breath, threading her fingers through the grass of the field as she felt a very familiar ache weighing on her chest. 

The same consistent ache that had been present during her three weeks of hell. During her three weeks at the lab.

The tingling feeling between her shoulder blades was gone, cut off suddenly and ripped away from her without warning. 

Her powers were gone. 

Heejin blinked, still struggling to regain her bearings. Her mind was reeling, and she could barely find the energy to lift her trembling arm. 

In horror, Heejin recalled that first day when she woke up with the collar. It was just like this. For hours, she couldn’t find the energy to move, unable to escape the constant ache that plagued her as she was separated from her abilities, separated from the constant presence that had previously anchored her. 

Heejin slowly turned her head to her left, glancing towards her hand, where she felt an unfamiliar weight hanging on her wrist. 

Her stomach dropped as she noticed the new cuff now encircling much of her wrist. The amn must have locked it around her wrist as she was in the middle of strangling him. 

She didn’t have to guess what the cuff was for. 

His laugh sent a brand new chill down her back, different from the shudder than had run through her as she realized what had happened. 

She turned her head over to the man, trying as hard as she could to find the energy to get up. 

With much effort, she managed to get to her knees, leaning heavily on her hands as she did.

“Aw, what happened?” the man asked mockingly. 

Heejin grit her teeth, fisting her hand into the grass. She tried once again to get to her feet, only to stumble back down to the grass as she did. 

“Hope you enjoy the new accessory,” the man said, leaning down next to her and fixing her with a mocking smile. He gestured down to the new cuff locked around her wrist. “Managed to steal one of their prototypes after you escaped. Not sure why they trashed it, looks like it works just fine.” 

Heejin clenched her jaw , keeping her eyes trained to the grass. 

The man stood, intent on drawing this out as long as possible. He strolled across the grass, his steps confident and unhurried. 

Heejin noticed with a note of panic that he was headed straight for the knife she had dropped in the grass earlier. 

_ Fuck.  _

The man was talking, mocking her and taking his sweet time. Basically being the biggest asshole he could be, but Heejin wasn’t listening. She was still struggling to get up.

She grunted with the effort, trying to summon some sort of energy, just enough to stand. 

If anything, she didn’t want to die on her knees. 

Alas, even as she tried as hard as she could, the energy simply wasn’t there. Once again, Heejin cursed her supposed  _ healing powers.  _ Those bitches weren’t helping her at all right now. 

She settled onto her knees, looking up at the man as he walked back over to her. She frowned warily as she noticed the knife grasped in his left hand. 

He smiled at her, flashing a set of yellow teeth, and Heejin struggled to control her fear. 

Well, she knew coming here was a risk, she reasoned. 

Heejin swallowed. Apparently, the risk had been greater than she had anticipated. 

“ _ Finally _ ,” the man said as he came to a stop in front of her, kneeling down until he was at eye level. “Finally, I’ll give the great  _ Orbit _ just what she deserves.” 

Heejin pushed down her fear, sneering at the man. “What do you think this is going to accomplish, exactly?” she spat. “Your brother will still be dead, and you’ll still be a deadbeat piece of shit who burned down an entire apartment building just to draw out one girl.” 

The man’s smile faded, and his face twisted into a frown. 

_ Good,  _ Heejin thought,  _ at least I won’t give him the satisfaction of going down easily.  _

“Does it feel good knowing that you had to steal a power-blocking cuff to even stand a  _ chance  _ against me?” she asked mockingly. “Or that you got your ass kicked by a ninety pound college student?” 

She could see the anger filling his eyes as she spoke. So, she kept going.

“Or how about the fact that you decided you would blame  _ me  _ for what your brother did to himself?” she said, her voice quiet but firm.

The man snapped.

His hands wrapped around her throat, and Heejin grunted as she was pushed down against the grass, the man’s hands pressing against her throat and threatening to crush her windpipe. It was almost ironic, really. A complete reverse of their previous positions. 

She struggled against his grip, gasping for air. 

“Shut up,” he said through gritted teeth. “You don’t know  _ shit.”  _

Heejin would have responded, had she been able to breathe. Unfortunately, her air supply was completely cut off, and she was losing what little energy she had fast. 

“ _ You don’t know shit!”  _ the man yelled in her face, squeezing his hands even harder. 

Darkness was creeping in on the edge of her vision, and what little struggle Heejin had offered was gone. She slumped back against the grass, unsuccessfully attempting to draw breath. The field was becoming blurry, and even the man’s face directly in front of her was becoming distorted. 

Well, this was it.

Heejin internally snorted. She was going to die in the middle of a football field, strangled by a psychotic bounty hunter. 

What a way to go. 

She’d never get to tell Hyunjin she loved her. 

Just as she had fully begun to accept her fate, she was suddenly able to draw breath again, and the hands wrapped tightly around her neck had been ripped away. 

There was yelling, and someone was grabbing her shoulders, but she was barely aware of anything, coughing and sputtering as she gasped for air. Her hands crept towards her neck, clutching the area where she knew a bruise was already forming. 

Black spots still dotted her vision, but she didn’t struggle when someone pulled her to her feet and began to pull her away. 

She blinked, forcing herself to focus. Slowly, her surroundings came into focus once more, and she was able to hear a familiar voice next to her. 

“...Heejin!” the voice said, and Heejin could hear the worry in her voice, and she could feel her hands grab her shoulders and lightly shake them.

Heejin blinked one more time, drawing in another breath. 

“Hyun?” she asked, her voice raspy and breathless. Hyunjin slowly came into focus in front of her, her familiar caring eyes and beautiful face. She looked worried. 

Hyunjin’s face brightened when she heard Heejin speak, and she quickly nodded. “Yes, oh my god, Heekkie!” she said, a relieved smile covering her face. She leaned forward and embraced Heejin in a tight hug, one that Heejin quickly returned. She rested her face into the crook of Hyunjin’s neck, breathing in her familiar scent. 

“Don’t  _ ever  _ scare me like that again,” Hyunjin said, hugging Heejin even tighter, as if she was afraid she would disappear. 

Heejin nodded, ignoring the tears that began to prick at her eyes. “Okay,” she replied, her voice thick. “I’m sorry.” 

They lingered in the hug for a bit longer, before the sound of a distinct male yell grabbed their attention and drew them apart as they turned to look. 

Heejin’s eyes widened in alarm as she took in the scene taking place in the middle of the football field, where she had almost died only moments earlier. 

_ Jiwoo _ was currently locked in combat with the bounty hunter, and she was actually holding her own, getting in some really strong strikes and doing a good job of dodging the man’s. Even more surprising, Sooyoung was also fighting, and though she was struggling, she was doing her best to hold her own enough to help Jiwoo. 

Together, they were wearing the man down. Combined with his battle with Heejin earlier and the beating he had taken, he was getting tired. His punches were sloppy, and his kicks often missed their targets. 

Heejin still couldn’t keep herself from worrying. They shouldn’t be fighting him, they could get hurt. They shouldn’t have to be involved, this was  _ her  _ fight, she should have never involved them. 

She had to help. 

Except, when she took a step forward, she stumbled, almost falling to the grass completely as overwhelming exhaustion washed over her. She would have collapsed completely, had Hyunjin not caught her just in time. “Heejin!” she yelled as she jumped to catch her. She eased her down to the grass, worry clouding her gaze as she noticed the cuff locked around Heejin’s wrist. “It’s okay, Hyejoo and Chaewon are on the way. We’ll get the stupid thing off in no time.” 

Heejin shook her head.  _ No,  _ she thought,  _ they could get hurt! _

She grit her teeth, struggling to get back to her feet. Hyunjin shook her head, resting her hand against Heejin’s shoulder. “Heej, you shouldn’t stand right now,” she said. “You could be really hurt.” 

Heejin only shook her head, clenching her jaw and pushing past her exhaustion enough to push herself to her knees. Hyunjin sighed, knowing it was no use protesting. Instead, she offered her assistance, helping Heejin to her feet and holding her hand to offer her some stability. 

They could only watch with baited breath as Sooyoung and Jiwoo attempted to fend off the guy. Heejin could feel anxiety creeping up in her stomach as rage flickered on the man’s face as Jiwoo dodged yet another one of his punches. 

To her credit, despite not having much combat experience, besides the lessons Jiwoo had occasionally given her, Sooyoung was doing relatively well. 

She  _ was,  _ at least, until the man let out a yell of frustration and launched his foot directly into Sooyoung’s torso. Sooyoung cried out as she was thrown to the ground, clutching her midsection as her face scrunched with pain.

Heejin would be the first to admit that she was terrified of an angry Jiwoo. Jiwoo when she was slightly frustrated was a little intimidating, since it was so rare. 

But a furious Jiwoo? Heejin had never even seen it happen. 

Until now. 

Jiwoo released a cry of rage so loud it shook the stadium, launching herself towards the man and slamming her fist directly into his throat. 

Heejin’s eyes widened. 

Throat punch. Nice. 

Jiwoo didn’t stop there, throwing herself at the man and landing punch after punch, throwing in a few brutal kicks for good measure. 

The man didn’t stand a chance. He was on the ground by the second blow, and soon he was coughing up blood and begging for Jiwoo to stop. 

Jiwoo didn’t let up, still raining blows on the man and releasing her pent-up anger. She was angry at him for hurting Sooyoung, for hurting Heejin, and most of all, for ever daring to mess with her friends. 

She didn’t let up, that is, until a small hand grabbed her arm mid swing. Jiwoo slumped, dropping her arm and turning. 

She met eyes with Sooyoung, and her face immediately softened, her fist unclenching and eyes facing downwards. 

Sooyoung reached up a hand and cradled Jiwoo’s cheek, forcing their eyes to meet. They shared a look, and suddenly, Heejin felt as if she was intruding. 

They seemed to silently communicate with each other, and, sparing one last glance at the man groaning on the grass, they began to walk back towards Heejin and Hyunjin. 

And then, the weight of her exhaustion, the weight of the battle, and the weight of the whole situation hit Heejin like a semi-truck. 

Sooyoung and Jiwoo arrived next to them just in time for Heejin to stumble yet again, leaning heavily on Hyunjin to keep from falling over completely. 

Jiwoo’s eyebrows furrowed in concern, but before she could move forward to help support her friend, the rattle of the fence drew everyone’s attention. 

Jinsoul, Chaewon, and Hyejoo were scrambling over the fence as best they could. Hyejoo managed to get over first, ignoring Jinsoul struggling to jump to the ground in favor of helping Chaewon.

Heejin quirked her head in confusion as she saw the baseball bat gripped in Jinsoul’s hand, as well as the machete Chaewon threw to the grass before jumping down herself, accepting Hyejoo’s hand as she landed. 

Who knew Chaewon had a  _ machete? _

Heejin shook away her confusion as they began to make their way over to where everyone was standing. 

“C’mon, we’ll meet them halfway,” Sooyoung said. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Everyone nodded, but Heejin lingered back for a bit, sparing a glance at the man collapsed on the field. He was unconscious, now, lying motionless on the grass. 

It took one glance at Jiwoo’s bloody knuckles to guess why. 

Hyunjin caught up on Heejin’s anxiety, gently squeezing her shoulder in a comforting way. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said. “It’s okay. The cops should already be on their way, and we gave them enough evidence to put away this guy for a while.” 

Heejin quirked her head, confused. “What evidence?” she asked. Her voice was still raspy, and it stung slightly to speak. “I still don't even know his name.” 

Hyunjin gave her a smug smile. “I might have gotten Hyejoo to save some of the camera footage from the lab when we rescued you.” she explained, clearly pleased with herself. “We’ve been sorting through the footage for weeks now, and we finally found footage of the…’experiments’ they did, and footage of when _that_ asshole brought you to the lab.” 

Heejin blinked, warmth blooming in her chest as she realized the extent Hyunjin and her friends had gone to help her. 

“We were going to tell you soon,” Hyunjin continued, oblivious to the emotions Heejin was currently experiencing. “But we were just worried about you, you know? It had only been a few weeks at that point, and you didn’t seem to want to talk about it at all, so we kept it to ourselves for a while. Don’t worry about your identity, though, we made sure to blur your face as best we could, so the cops shouldn’t realize-”

Heejin shook her head, tears pricking her eyes. Without a word, she was embracing Hyunjin in a tight hug, trying to communicate  _ all _ her gratitude, even though she knew it was impossible. 

Hyunjin stiffened for only a moment out of surprise before easily returning the hug with a smile. 

They separated, and Hyunjin fixed Heejin with a caring look. “Look, I know you’re used to dealing with everything by yourself, and you don’t want anyone to get hurt,” she said, giving her a soft smile. “But we’re  _ here for you.  _ No matter what. You can ask for help, Heejin. It’s okay to ask for help.” 

Heejin swallowed, trying to get over the sudden pain in the back of her throat as she finally realized the truth in her words. 

She wasn’t in it alone. 

“I love you.” Heejin said quickly. “I wanted to say that for a while, but I was just  _ scared _ , and then everything happened tonight and I thought I’d never get the chance to tell you - “ 

Hyunjin interrupted her with a soft kiss, and Heejin could feel the way Hyunjin was smiling. 

They pulled back, and Hyunjin looked at her with so much love in her eyes, Heejin nearly melted on the spot. “I love you too, Heejin.” 

They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before Hyejoo’s voice pulled them back to reality. 

“C’mon, lovebirds!” she called. “Move your asses, it’s time to go.” 

Hyunjin rolled her eyes and Heejin only giggled. They made their way across the grass, trying to catch up with their friends. Heejin didn't realize how behind they had gotten as they were speaking to each other. 

The cuff around her wrist was still blocking her powers, Heejin acknowledged, and she felt its effects once again as she began to walk towards her friends, barely able to keep herself upright. 

Hyunjin offered her silent support, helping her girlfriend walk as Heejin wrapped her arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders. 

Heejin met eyes with her friends, and she couldn’t withhold her wince as their eyes seemed to soften in sympathy at her appearance. She could only imagine what she looked like right now, barely standing, the beginnings of an intense bruise around her neck, along with plenty of cuts and bruises. 

Oh, and a few broken fingers, possibly. She had nearly forgotten about those. 

Except, when her friends’ faces morphed from sympathy to horror, she was confused. Sure, she looked a little worse for wear, but it was nothing to be scared of. 

She realized a little too late, however, that they were no longer looking at her. They were looking  _ behind  _ her, pointing and yelling various warnings. 

It took Chaewon heaving her machete into the air and running towards them with wide eyes for Heejin to fully comprehend the situation. 

Her and Hyunjin turned, Hyunjin seemingly reacting just as slow as Heejin. 

Heejin’s heart stopped as she saw the man running towards them, the knife they had dropped earlier clutched tightly in his right hand. He seemed crazed, his eyes wide and teeth bared in a sick smile. It seemed he wasn't as unconscious as he had previously appeared.

Heejin and him met eyes, and it was only then that Heejin realized that he wasn’t going after her. 

He was sprinting full-speed towards the girl beside her, who was standing stock-still, too paralyzed with shock and fear to react. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin deals with the bounty hunter once and for all, and everyone makes a new friend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew okay, this is the last chapter. good luck reading this i think it might be incomprehensible.

Heejin’s eyes widened as the man approached, and she knew, in that very moment, that she was  _ not  _ letting this man lay a hand on Hyunjin. Not under any circumstances. 

It was this thought that had her straightening, stepping forward with a burst of energy. The pain coursing through her body faded, and her exhaustion disappeared. 

The only thing that mattered now, she knew, was protecting Hyunjin. 

If the man was surprised by her sudden energy, he didn’t show it. As Heejin stepped protectively in front of Hyunjin, he skidded to a stop, but his smile didn’t fade. He simply gave her a small smirk, raising the knife and throwing it directly at them.

The knife shot through the air, leaving the man’s extended hand and heading straight for Hyunjin’s chest at full speed. 

It would have met its target, too, had Heejin’s hand not intercepted its path just in time. She caught the blade with her good hand, ignoring the pain that shot through her fingers and palm as the blade cut the skin there. 

Instead of focusing on the shocked look on the man’s face, she simply narrowed her eyes, throwing the knife to the grass and sprinting towards the man at full speed.

Whatever exhaustion had plagued her early, it was gone, replaced only with fury at the man who had dared to try and hurt Hyunjin. 

If Heejin wasn’t so furious, she might have noticed the fear shining in the man’s eyes and taken satisfaction at the sight. Instead, she directed all her focus towards the tingle between her shoulder blades. 

The tingle that was suddenly back, as if her powers had been activated by her anger, her intense emotions. The cuff on her wrist was meaningless now, she knew. 

Without a word, she collided with the man, wrapping her arms around his midsection and tackling him to the ground. 

Except, before they hit the ground, they had both disappeared into thin air. 

Silence consumed the field.

Hyunjin waited. 

They didn’t reappear. 

Her heart hammered in her chest. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t do anything except stare at where her girlfriend had once been. Where she had just tackled the man to the ground for daring to threaten Hyunjin.

It had been too long. 

Where was she?

“Heejin?” she whispered, as if Heejin could hear her, wherever she was. 

Slowly, Chaewon approached, followed closely by everyone else. Hyunjin felt a hand on her shoulder, but she could barely acknowledge it. 

Where was her girlfriend? 

Chaewon swallowed, also staring at the spot where they had disappeared. “Hyun…” she said, her voice as light and airy as it always was. 

It just made Hyunjin think of Heejin’s voice, so deep and steady in comparison. 

“Where did she go?” Jiwoo asked from behind them. Hyunjin could hear the way her voice cracked, and she knew Jiwoo was barely holding back tears. 

“I’m not sure,” Jinsoul answered, her voice too monotone to properly decipher her feelings. 

“Maybe...maybe  _ he _ was the one that teleported?” Sooyoung hesitantly said. 

It was what they were all thinking. There was no way Heejin would have been able to, especially with that cuff around her wrist. It had been a miracle that she had been able to even show any resistance, considering she had been nearly unable to stand on her own two feet a few minutes ago. 

“But, surely he couldn't teleport that far?” Jiwoo replied uncertainly. “Heejin can’t even make it that far. And that's without the cuff.”

“Maybe something changed between now and when we last met this guy,” Hyejoo pointed out, her voice flat. 

They were all still staring at the spot, as if they expected something to change. 

Hyunjin was on the edge of a breakdown, if she was being honest. Hadn’t she lost Heejin enough already? They were supposed to be together now. They had gone through enough, they had finally worked out their issues and they were  _ happy.  _

It wasn’t fair. 

Her throat itched, and tears pricked at her eyes. Chaewon’s hand was still on her shoulder, but she could barely feel it at this point. She was going numb, staring at that insignificant piece of grass where her girlfriend had been only moments ago.

_ Come back,  _ she silently begged. 

Her friends were talking, and Chaewon was squeezing her shoulder, but Hyunjin didn’t care. 

_ Come back, Heejin.  _

Chaewon was tugging at her shoulder now, as if trying to bring her back to reality, but Hyunjin was too far gone.. 

_ Please come back.  _

They were still talking. Hyunjin still wasn’t hearing. 

_ I love you.  _

There was a horrible moment of silence, in which Hyunjin could hear nothing but the furious pounding of her own heart. Her mouth was dry, and the tears that were previously pricking at the back of her eyes were now blatantly running down her cheeks. 

And then, as if on cue, Heejin was materializing into thin air, right where she had disappeared. She fell from the air and landed bodily on the ground, seemingly unconscious. 

The cuff was still on her wrist, yet she was alone. The man was nowhere to be seen. 

It didn’t matter. 

It took milliseconds for Hyunjin to comprehend what was going on, and then she was stumbling to her feet, as if in a trance. 

She sprinted towards Heejin, internally praying that her girlfriend was not hurt. The rest of her friends followed closely at her heels. 

She arrived by Heejin’s side in seconds, throwing herself onto the ground next to her. Gently, she positioned Heejin so that she was laying on her back. 

Her mouth was slightly parted and her eyes were closed. Hyunjin’s eyes lingered on the now-dark bruising around her neck. Other than her previous injuries, thankfully, she looked relatively okay. 

Finally, Hyunjin felt herself relaxing slightly. Leaning down, she pressed her forehead against Heejin’s, releasing a shaky breath and closing her eyes. 

Heejin was here. She was alive. 

They were going to be fine. 

“C’mon, Hyun,” Chaewon’s voice broke her concentration. 

“Hyunjin, we have to go!” came Jiwoo’s panicked voice. "The cops are almost here!"

Hyunjin shook herself out of her trance, leaning down further to lift Heejin off the ground as quickly and carefully as she could. 

She glanced back at her friends for only a moment before they began running. Hyunjin held Heejin securely in her grasp, careful not to jostle her too much as they ran. 

Hyunjin felt her heart threaten to beat out of her chest as she heard the distinct sound of police sirens. Distantly, she could see the flashing lights approaching the stadium. 

She wasn’t sure what would happen if the police caught them. They technically hadn’t committed a crime, sure, but they would have to explain the unconscious and bleeding girl, as well as the bloody knife now carried tightly in Hyewon’s hand. Thankfully, she had remembered to pick up the weapon before they fled.

They would also have to explain why the cops had been called at all, which was potentially problematic now that the bounty hunter had seemingly disappeared. 

So, yeah, Hyunjin would rather avoid a confrontation with the police right now. She wasn’t looking to get arrested tonight. 

They reached the fence after what felt like forever, and Hyunjin grit her teeth as she struggled to carry both Heejin and herself as they all scrambled up the side. Thankfully, Jiwoo helped her, and after a bit of struggle, they were able to land both themselves and Heejin safely on the outside of the stadium. 

They didn’t waste any time before hightailing it towards the lone car parked in the parking lot. Hyunjin blinked a little, not recognizing the car. It wasn’t any of her friends. 

She was even more alarmed when she saw a girl sitting in the drivers’ seat, looking absolutely terrified at the crowd of girls running full speed towards her car. 

“ _ Who’s that?” _ Hyunjin yelled, eyes wide. 

“My friend from Bio, I asked her for a ride!” Hyejoo yelled back, as if it explained everything. "You didn't give me a lot of warning before you asked me to meet you here!" 

Hyunjin had about a dozen questions, but there was no time. 

She ignored the girl’s shocked gaze and panicked cries as they all piled into the car. Thankfully, it was a suburban, so it had a third row. Hyejoo and CHaewon wasted no time before scrambling into the far back seat, followed closely by Sooyoung, while everyone else spread out amongst the first and second row. Jinsoul took the front seat, and she barely blinked at the girl before yelling at her to punch it. 

Hyunjin paid no attention as the girl sped out of the parking lot, grasping the steering wheel with a white-knuckle grip. She was too focused on Heejin, who was propped up between her and Jiwoo, still unconscious. Jiwoo and her exchanged worried glances, but they knew there was no time to worry right now. 

A quick glance towards the empty street behind them told them that they had successfully avoided the cops, which was lucky. They just had to head back to Hyunjin’s place now and sort out everything there. 

“ _ Hyejoo what the heck is going on?”  _

Oh. Right. The girl who was driving. 

Hyunjin was kind of impressed she had managed to keep from cursing, considering her current situation. 

“Sorry, Yerim,” Hyejoo said, sounding a bit too casual. “I didn’t have anyone else to call, and none of us have a car. We were kind of in a rush to get here after Hyunjin called us.”

“When you told me you and a couple friends needed a ride to the football stadium, I didn’t really think I would end the night running from the  _ cops!”  _ the girl, Yerim, cried, near hysterical. 

“It really wasn’t that big of a deal,” Jiwoo lied, trying to downplay the situation. “It looks worse than it is.”

“ _ Chaewon is literally holding a machete!”  _

Hyunjin winced, but she leaned forward to look at the street in front of her. It was completely dead, and the streetlights cast menacing shadows on the concrete as they rushed past. “Hi, sorry, could you just hang the next right?” 

Yerim laughed, almost as if she couldn’t believe what was happening. “Sure,” she said, with a strained smile, and Hyunjin winced again. “Why not?” 

She turned down the street, a tad too aggressively, if everyone letting out yelps of surprise was any signal. Yerim didn’t seem fazed, though, speeding down the road and gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. 

Hyunjin was worried they might get in a wreck, despite there being absolutely no cars on the road, but she honestly couldn’t blame Yerim for being so on edge, considering the circumstances. So she kept her opinions to herself and quietly directed Yerim to her apartment. 

“So is anyone going to explain?” Yerim cried. “Why is she unconscious, why is Jinsoul holding a baseball bat, and why did you think that  _ I was the best person to be a getaway driver?”  _

Even Hyejoo winced as she heard the growing panic in Yerim’s voice. “Um, I’m really sorry, Yerim,” she offered. “But I promise I’ll explain everything when we get to Hyunjin’s place. Right now it would be great if we just...didn’t get in a wreck.” 

Yerim blinked, but she seemed to tone down her erratic driving the slightest bit. Hyunjin could suddenly breathe again as Yerim slowed down. She directed her towards the parking lot for her complex, and after Yerim had parked, everyone piled out of the suburban. 

Hyunjin wondered why Yerim had a suburban, despite being a college student. She shrugged it off, though, deciding that now wasn’t the best time to ask. 

She lifted Heejin into her arms, careful not to jostle her around too much as they walked up the stairs towards Hyunjin’s apartment. 

Everyone was pretty quiet, for the most part, too consumed in their own thoughts, but Hyejoo and Chaewon exchanged occasional whispers, clutching each other’s hands and leaning in close. 

Hyunjin couldn’t help but notice the way Jiwoo clung to Sooyoung, holding her hand and leaning heavily into her side, as if she might disappear at any moment. Sooyoung seemed just as clingy, leaning heavily into Jiwoo and squeezing her hand tightly in return. 

Okay, they were both kind of cute. Even Hyunjin could admit it. 

Hyunjin had to awkwardly fish her keys out of her pocket as they came to a stop in front of her door, trying to keep a steady grip on Heejin as she did. After it took entirely too long, Jinsoul finally took pity on her and took the keys from her hand as soon as she got them out of her pocket and opened the door for everyone. 

They all flooded into the apartment, immediately spreading out between the kitchen and the living room, either plopping down on the couch with a groan or immediately going to grab snacks or coffee. Hyunjin rolled her eyes. She didn’t know why she expected anything different. The apartment was basically home base for everything, now, and her friends were used to making themselves at home. 

Yerim, however, was the only one to offer her a polite smile, despite her clear anxiety, and quietly ask if she needed any help with anything. 

Hyunjin nearly melted at the sight of Yerim’s small smile and genuine eyes. Here this girl was, clearly terrified and very confused, yet she still insisted on maintaining her manners. 

They did not deserve this angel. 

“No thank you, Yerim, just make yourself at home,” Hyunjin said, returning her smile with a slight shake of her head. “Feel free to grab any food or drinks from the kitchen.” 

Yerim nodded, glancing once more at Heejin, still clutched tightly in Hyunjin’s arms, before moving hesitantly towards the kitchen. 

Hyunjin released a breath, collecting herself before heading into the living room and propping Heejin up on the sofa. With luck, she would wake up soon and be able to tell them what happened. 

Hyejoo and Chaewon were already sitting together at the other end of the sofa, and Jinsoul had made herself at home in the armchair next to the coffee table. 

Hyunjin glanced impatiently towards the kitchen, where Sooyoung and Jiwoo were exchanging whispers, entirely too close to each other’s faces. Yerim stood awkwardly next to them, avoiding eye contact and awkwardly stirring her cup of coffee. 

“Jiwoo, Sooyoung!” she called over after a moment. “Stop making Yerim uncomfortable and get over here.”

Jiwoo and Sooyoung blushed, but they stayed quiet and began heading over to the living room, followed closely by Yerim, who was holding her coffee like a lifeline. 

As if on cue, Heejin, still propped up next to her, began to stir ever so slightly. Hyunjin jerked her head towards her girlfriend and wrapped their hands together, squeezing tightly. 

Gradually, Heejin began to wake up, her eyes cracking open and a small groan releasing from her lips. “Hyun?” she managed, blinking as she tried to get used to the bright lights in the living room. 

Hyunjin ignored the tears of relief pricking at her eyes and wrapped Heejin in a fierce hug, burying her head into the crook of Heejin’s neck. 

After a moment, Heejin returned her embrace, propping her chin on top of Hyunjin head. “What happened?” Heejin asked, her voice still a bit raspy, glancing around at all their friends, who were watching the exchange with concerned eyes. 

Jinsoul met her eyes, furrowing her brows. “Do you remember?” she asked hesitantly. Hyunjin finally pulled away, conspicuously wiping at her eyes. “That guy threw the knife at Hyunjin, but you caught it,” 

She motioned towards Heejin’s hand. Heejin blinked, looking down and blanching at the sight of her blood covered hand. It was only then that she registered the intense pain coming from the cuts on her fingers and palm. She grimaced. 

Jiwoo immediately stood and walked over to the kitchen to grab some bandages and alcohol. 

“Then, uh, you attacked the guy and you both teleported,” Jinsoul continued. “Only thing is, you didn’t reappear for a while. We thought you were gone.” 

Heejin bit her lip, struggling to remember. The events of the night were slowly coming back to her as Jinsoul spoke, but it was still blurry. “Only one of us came back, right?” she asked after a moment, narrowing her eyes. 

She glanced around as everyone nodded.

Silence consumed the room, and Jiwoo returned from the kitchen, quickly wedging herself between Chaewon and Heejin and starting to bandage Heejin’s hand. 

“So, uh,” Hyejoo finally broke the silence, her voice sounding a little uncertain. “What happened to him? The bounty hunter, I mean.” 

Heejin swallowed, and she opened her mouth to answer, but the only thing that came out was a sharp, pained, “ _ Fuck!”  _

Everyone jumped, and Jiwoo chuckled sheepishly, holding up a small bottle of alcohol and motioning to where she had poured it onto Heejin’s hand, directly onto the gashes on her fingers. “Sorry, Heekkie.” 

Heejin swallowed, trying to control her breathing. “It’s fine, Jiwoo,” she said. 

She looked around at everyone, releasing a sigh. “So, when I teleport, it’s not a direct ‘point a to point b’ thing.” she explained. “It’s more like I’m taking a shortcut through...somewhere.” 

Everyone leaned forward, intent on hearing Heejin’s explanation. 

“The shortcut...it’s like a different dimension. I have to travel through there to get from one point to the other. If I’m not careful, though…” she paused for a moment. “I could get  _ stuck  _ there.” 

Hyunjin furrowed her brows. “So...the bounty hunter?” she asked, the question in her voice clear. 

Heejin nodded. “I trapped him in the other dimension.” she confirmed. “It was close, though. He almost managed to strand me instead.” 

Hyunjin shuddered at the thought, a look around the room told her that everyone felt mostly the same. 

Heejin looked at the ground, shame clear in her eyes. “I know it wasn’t the best thing to do,” she said quietly. “But it was the only way I could think of getting rid of him without, you know, killing him.” 

“It’s fine, Heejin,” Chaewon assured her, reaching across to rest her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You did what you had to do. No one blames you.” 

“Yeah,” Jiwoo agreed. "That guy was the worst, anyway." 

Everyone nodded, and Heejin swallowed, a warmth blooming in her chest at the show of support. 

“Okay, but I still have one question,” Sooyoung cut in. 

“Just  _ one?”  _ Yerim quietly muttered under her breath, taking a much-needed sip of her coffee. 

“How did you do all that with the cuff on?” Sooyoung continued, ignoring Yerim. 

Everyone nodded, equally as curious. 

Heejin shrugged, pretty confused herself. “I’m not completely sure,” she admitted. “But when I saw that knife coming towards Hyunjin, there was this...energy that wasn’t there before. Like a rush of adrenaline. I just  _ knew  _ that I couldn’t let Hyunjin get hurt.” 

Hyejoo frowned, but she nodded. She stood up, walking over to Heejin and pulling the cuff towards her, examining the device with narrowed eyes. 

“The bounty hunter said it was only a prototype,” Heejin offered, hoping to be helpful. “That might be why it didn’t work. 

Hyejoo nodded, but the frown didn’t leave her face. “Maybe,” she muttered. She left to go grab some tools, clearly intent on getting the thing off as fast as possible. 

Heejin wasn’t complaining. Now that everything had calmed down, and everyone was safe, almost all her energy was gone. Really gone, this time. It would be nice to get that stupid cuff off. 

Her head was pounding, and that familiar weight pressing against her chest and back had returned. It stole her energy and left her feeling exhausted and in pain. 

It really was the worst feeling, being separated from her abilities. 

Hyunjin seems to pick up on her shift in moods, reaching over and wrapping her arm around Heejin’s shoulders in a comforting way, tugging her closer and squeezing her shoulder.

“I bet it was those healing powers of yours,” Hyunjin muttered into Heejin’s ear. “The nonexistent ones?” 

Heejin swallowed, recalling the moment she had felt that rush of energy. Hyunjin brought up a good point. It was entirely possible that the source was those mystery healing powers. They must have responded to her sudden fear that Hyunjin would get hurt. 

She shrugged. “I guess,” she conceded. “Maybe they’re not completely useless if they help me protect you.” 

Hyunjin blushed, but she smiled and moved closer to Heejin, burying her face into the crook of her neck. Heejin couldn’t withhold her grin as Hyunjin giggled. 

“Alright!” Jiwoo said with a wide smile, standing up and clapping her hands together. “All better.” 

Heejin gave her a grateful look as she glanced at her now bandaged hand. Jiwoo had done a meticulous job, and the throbbing pain in her hand was beginning to dull. 

Hyejoo returned from the kitchen, clutching various tools between both her hands and a furrow in her brows. She was already incredibly focused, not even sparing Heejin a glance before sitting down next to her and grabbing her cuffed hand. She wordlessly began working on removing the device, peering down at it with narrowed eyes. 

“Okay, so…” Yerim said, breaking the silence. Everyone jerked their heads over to her, having clearly forgotten she was here. “You’re Orbit?” 

Heejin swallowed, reaching up with her bandaged hand to awkwardly scratch the back of her neck. She didn’t recognize this girl. “Uh,” she stammered. “I guess?” 

Yerim stared at her for a moment, almost skeptical, before she broke out into a huge grin, a smile that could light up the room. “That’s so amazing!” she practically yelled, and nearly everyone jumped. “I’m such a huge fan!” 

Heejin’s eyes widened. “Oh.” 

Yerim was unfazed by Heejin’s lackluster response. “You’re literally the coolest person ever!” she continued. “Hyejoo and I used to fangirl over you all the time in Bio!” 

Hyejoo looked up at Yerim with a sharp glance, but Heejin noticed a slight hint of red dusting her cheeks. Yerim barely even paid attention to Hyejoo’s piercing glare. “Can I get your autograph?” 

Heejin blinked. “Um, sure?” she replied with a slight chuckle. “Wait, I’m sorry, who are you?” 

“Oh, sorry,” Yerim said, blinking and slapping herself a bit. “I’m Yerim! Hyejoo asked me for a ride to the football field, and she kind of sprung this whole superhero vigilante business on me last minute. And by last minute, I mean she didn’t tell me at all.” 

Heejin blinked. 

“But I drove everyone away from the football field before the cops showed up,” Yerim continued. “And I still don’t really know what’s going on, if I’m being honest.” 

Heejin nodded, eyes wide. “So, you were a...getaway driver?” she asked hesitantly. 

Yerim shrugged. “Basically.” she replied. “But my mom’s suburban isn’t the coolest getaway car, if we’re being real.” 

Heejin seemed at a loss for words. 

Hyunjin quickly caught onto her bewilderment and thankfully stepped in. “Right,  _ anyway _ ,” she said, smiling politely at Yerim. “Thanks so much for your help, really, you’re welcome to stay tonight, but I really think Heejin could use some rest. I think we all could.” 

Heejin almost began to protest, but then the events of the night began to catch up to her, and her exhaustion suddenly weighed heavily on her shoulders. She couldn’t deny that her eyelids were heavier than they were a few minutes ago, and she was struggling to find the energy to offer up any real protest at all. 

Hyejoo seemed to catch on as Hyunjin spoke, and after one last glance at the cuff, she stood up, shaking her head. “It’s probably best that you should get some rest,” she agreed with a frown. “It’ll probably take me a few hours to get this thing off, and we’re both exhausted.” 

Heejin nodded, offering Hyejoo a grateful smile. 

She and Hyunjin stood from the couch, Heejin leaning heavily on her girlfriend to stay upright. Before they began walking, though, Heejin sighed. 

She fixed everyone in the room with a serious look. “Look, guys,” she said. “I know I’ve been kind of stupid lately, but I want everyone to know that I really appreciate everything you guys have done for me. You’ve really been here for me when I needed you, and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re great friends.”

She paused, shaking her head and swallowing. “Without your help, I think I probably would have gone crazy a long time ago, and I definitely would have died tonight.” she laughed a little. “So just...thank you. Really.” 

Everyone smiled at her, giving her an acknowledging nod. 

Yerim looked positively ecstatic that  _ the  _ Orbit was thanking  _ her.  _

Hyunjin gave her shoulders a comforting squeeze before they resumed walking towards their bedroom. Hyunjin glanced over her shoulder to call out to everyone, “Feel free to spend the night, you guys, but try not to make a huge mess.” she said. “Kitchen’s open and the remote is somewhere in the couch, I think. We lost it a few days ago and we haven’t found it yet.” 

And with that, Heejin and Hyunjin had disappeared down the hallway and into their bedroom, closing the door behind them. 

Yerim immediately turned towards Hyejoo, her eyes somehow both excited and betrayed. “Hyejoo, how could you just  _ neglect  _ to mention that you’re friends with  _ Orbit!”  _ she cried, throwing her hands into the air. 

Hyejoo shrugged, leaning closer towards Chaewon and resting her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I dunno,” she replied. “Didn’t really come up.” 

  
  


Soon enough, things were back to normal. After a few days of skipping class, everyone started to return to their regular routines. Heejin recovered from her ordeal, the injuries she had received slowly beginning to heal. 

Fortunately, Yerim didn’t immediately turn them in as soon as she had left Hyunjin’s apartment. If anything, she further helped them out by offering everyone a safe ride home. By the end of the ordeal, there was no doubt that Yerim had carved herself a place into their little circle. She began to spend time with everyone, rather than just Hyejoo, and everyone was happier because of it.

Once she had gotten over the whole Orbit fangirl thing, Yerim was actually a really great addition to their group, in Heejin’s opinion. In a way, Yerim reminded her of Jiwoo. At the very least, both of them had a smile that could light up a room. 

(And Heejin would never admit it, but it was pretty cool that she actually had  _ fangirls. _ )

They began to hold weekly movie nights. It was small, and it was never very serious or organized, but it was something they could all look forward to at the end of the week. It offered a chance for them to all see each other and have fun together. 

Chaewon and Hyejoo almost always ended up cuddling up together at one end of the couch, exchanging quiet whispers throughout nearly the whole movie. Jinsoul never made it to the end of a movie, instead opting to pass out halfway through and drape herself over the person nearest to her, which usually ended up being either Hyunjin or Yerim. Sooyoung and Jiwoo hadn’t confirmed anything, but it was pretty obvious they were dating when they started obnoxiously making out near the end of the movie, distracting everyone else and leading to piles of popcorn being thrown at the two of them. 

And Hyunjin and Heejin were attached at the hip the entire night. They would giggle quietly together when they thought something in the movie was funny, and Heejin would yelp and bury her head into Hyunjin’s neck whenever they would watch a scary movie. Hyunjin thought it was adorable that Heejin found something so obviously fake that scary, but she didn’t make fun of her, instead opting to squeeze her hand throughout the whole movie and whisper comforting words into her ear. 

Everyone usually ended up spending the night, because no one wanted to walk or drive home in the early hours of the morning, or they were already asleep (Jinsoul). 

When Heejin and Hyunjin emerged from their bedroom the following morning, they were almost always greeted with the sight of everyone sprawled across the couch and floor in various wild positions. 

On one particularly memorable occasion, Heejin could’ve sworn that Yerim literally fell asleep on the coffee table, one of her arms hanging off the side so that it was resting directly on top of Jinsoul’s head. 

Regardless, Hyunjin would always sigh and exchange an exasperated look with Heejin before starting on breakfast. Heejin would travel around the living room and shake everyone awake, ignoring the grumbling protests and the occasional scream (Jiwoo) before heading over to help Hyunjin. She was absolutely useless in the kitchen, though, so she normally just sat on the counter and offered moral support, waving her legs around and telling stupid jokes while Hyunjin cooked. 

It occurred to Heejin, in those moments, that their life together had become painfully domestic. 

Heejin couldn’t ask for anything more, if she was being honest. 

Eventually, most of the girls would shuffle into the kitchen in various states of disorientation, having noticed the smell of breakfast and dragged themselves out of the living room. 

Eating breakfast together was almost always the best part of it all, because they would stuff their faces and laugh and share any crazy dreams they had. Heejin would leave the table with a huge smile spread across her face, the excited energy of the room way too infectious for her to resist. 

Of course, it had to come to an end. Slowly, everyone would flood out of the apartment, waving and calling various farewells over their shoulders. Heejin would wave goodbye in return, hiding her sadness behind a smile, but Hyunjin always made her feel better when everyone left, wrapping her in a tight hug and pressing kisses against her neck. 

There were still moments where Heejin was afraid, of course. Nearly everyone in the group had those moments, now, but it had become a lot better since that night at the football field. 

Following the events of that night, they had all closely monitored the news, waiting for any information on the fate of Block Berry Laboratories. Hyunjin hoped the evidence they had turned in would be enough to get the place shut down, even if the bounty hunter was now missing. 

Sure enough, almost a week later, news articles and reports flooded the internet, all speculating the reason Block Berry Labs was closing its doors. There were various crazy conspiracy theories, and plenty of people claiming that the lab was actually a cover for something darker, but only Heejin and her friends knew the real truth. 

The articles said that the place had been raided by the police, and officers had seized various hazardous and illegal materials during their raid, which Heejin could only assume meant they found the remnants of the rock. 

A part of her wanted to know more about it, to know more about the source of her abilities, but another part wanted the thing as far from her as possible. 

Heejin just hoped it stayed out of the wrong hands. Even dormant, she had a feeling the thing could be potentially very dangerous. 

Regardless, with the news that the lab was gone came celebration. They threw a party that night, as soon as they got confirmation that Block Berry was shutting its doors. Heejin would be the first to admit that they all drank a little too much that night, but she wasn’t complaining. It was an amazing night, and it was especially fun when Yerim and Chuu got drunk enough to laugh at literally anything. Their laughter was infectious, so everyone was basically in tears by the end of the night. 

It was one of the best nights of her life. She danced, she sang, and most of all, she felt free from her worries. For the first time since before the events of the lab, she felt untethered. The weight of her anxiety faded, and it was replaced with only a warm feeling of love as she danced and partied with all her friends. 

A few nights later, Heejin confided in Hyunjin about...well,  _ everything.  _ She told her about her origins, about her dad and how she had crafted the Orbit identity. She told her about the lab,  _ really  _ told her everything that happened, and she told her how she thought of only Hyunjin for much of the ordeal. She even detailed her experience the drugs, how they made her feel, what she saw. She held in her tears for much of the discussion, but when she spoke about the visions she had seen, she just couldn’t hold it back anymore. She dissolved into tears, and Hyunjin wasted no time before wrapping her in a tight embrace. They stayed like that for a while, and Heejin had never felt safer. 

She was glad she had told someone, at least. Verbalizing all that had happened made it feel more... _ real.  _ As if she hadn’t just imagined it all. 

Hyunjin had listened with such intensity and care, Heejin found herself falling all over again, as if she wasn’t already in love. 

In a show of confidence and empathy that Heejin wasn’t expecting, Hyunjin had opened up to her as well. She described her journey, her issues with Orbit, and what had happened to her mom when she was in high school. It was out of character for Hyunjin to discuss her emotions, especially with so much sincerity. 

Heejin had never been angry or frustrated that Hyunjin hadn’t been the biggest fan of Orbit, but she had always been curious as to why. Aside from reading her blog posts and guessing, there wasn’t much she could do to find Hyunjin’s motivation. When they had become close, even after Hyunjin had confessed to running the blog, Heejin had always been hesitant to bring up the subject, scared that it may start an argument, so she had left it alone. 

But, now that she was hearing Hyunjin’s reasoning, Heejin understood. She knew Hyunjin’s issues with Orbit stemmed less from Orbit herself and more from Hyunjin’s struggle to find closure concerning her mom’s injury and the injustice of it all. 

In a way, that was exactly why she had become Orbit in the first place. She was angry at how unfair it was that her dad had been taken from her so soon, angry that nothing had been done to fix it.

Heejin was glad Hyunjin trusted her enough to share that. It was personal, and it seemed like a really sensitive subject for Hyunjin to discuss. 

There was a shift in their relationship that night. They had shared things with each other that they hadn’t told anyone else, and they were closer because of it. 

Heejin was glad. Their relationship had always felt real to her, but it was nice to know that they could really share things with each other without any fear of rejection or misunderstanding. 

So, yeah, that was it. Heejin still went on patrols and trained with Jiwoo, but now she spent her free time with her friends. She went home to Hyunjin, fell asleep next to her and woke up with her arms wrapped around her midsection. She held movie nights with Hyunjin at the apartment, ordered copious amounts of pizza for everyone, and yelled at Jinsoul with everyone else for falling asleep for the third time. She threw popcorn at Sooyoung and Jiwoo for being gross, and she laughed when Yerim fell off the couch after laughing a bit too hard at a stupid joke that Hyejoo told in a flat monotone. She cringed when Chaewon and Hyejoo acted disgustingly in love (even thought they were super cute) and she held Hyunjin’s hand. 

And so, almost three months after the events at the football field, when she opened the door for everyone to come inside, and when they all argued over what movie to watch this time, she felt...content. 

She looked over at Hyunjin’s hand intertwined in hers, noticed the scrunch of Hyunjin’s eyebrow as she yelled at Jinsoul for having a bad taste in movies, and a familiar warm feeling bloomed in her chest. 

Looking at all the friends surrounding her, laughing and yelling, Heejin knew that these girls had somehow become her family, and, somewhere along the way, this had become home. 

She glanced over at Hyunjin once again, an involuntary smile making its way onto her face as Hyunjin tried to steal the remote from Jinsoul. 

Heejin was happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg thank you if you stuck around this long. I know it was kind of long and cheesy, but I hope you enjoyed !!


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